anxa 

B9-B 

14772 


EXHIBITION  OF  PRINTS 


(CLAGIIORN  COLLECTION) 


UNDER  THE  AUSPICES  OP 


Cl|£  pHtitsoltWittit  ^Ciulcmu  nf  ll|e  jjfltt  3\rts. 


CRITICAL  NOTICES 

BY 

WILLIAM  J.  CLARK,  Jr., 

REPRINTED  PROM  “THE  EVENING  TELEGRAPH”  OP  PHILADELPHIA; 
WITH  THE 

OPENING  ADDRESS  . 

DELIVERED  BY  . 

W.  S.  BAKER. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

RUE  &  JONES,  BOOK  AND  JOB  PRINTERS, 
Nos.  100  and  108  South  Third  Street. 

1815. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2018  with  funding  from 
Getty  Research  Institute 


https://archive.org/details/exhibitionofprin00clar_1 


EXHIBITION  OF  PRINTS 

(CLAGrHORN  COLLECTION) 


CEITIOAL  NOTICES 


WILLIAM  J.  CLARK,  Jr., 

REPRINTED  FROM  “THE  EVENING  TELEGRAPH”  OF  PHILADELPHIA; 


OPENING  ADDRESS 


DELIVERED  BY 


W.  S.  BAKER. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

RUE  &  JONES,  BOOK  AND  JOB  PRINTERS, 
Nos.  106  and  108  South  Third  Street. 

1815. 


DIRECTORS 


OF 


eimaglcanra 


JAMES  L.  CLAGHORN,  President. 


J.  GILLINGHAM  FELL, 
ALFRED  D.  JESSUP, 
FAIRMAN  ROGERS, 
EDWARD  S.  OLARKE, 
HENRY  C.  GIBSON, 


HENRY  G.  MORRIS, 
MATTHEW  BAIRD, 
GEORGE  S.  PEPPER, 
CLARENCE  H.  CLARK, 
WILLIAM  B.  BEMENT. 


JOHN  SARTAIN,  Secretary. 


COMMITTEE. 


JOHN  SARTAIN, 

E.  S.  CLARKE, 

CLARENCE  H.  CLARK, 

WM.  B.  BEMENT, 

GEO.  R. 


W.S.  BAKER, 

OKAS.  F.  HASELTINE, 
W.  J.  CLARK,  Jr., 
JOHN  HUNEKER, 

BON  FI  ELD. 


On  the  21st  of  December,  1874,  an  exhibition  of  Engravings,  Mezzotints 
and  Etchings  was  opened  under  the  auspices  of  the  Pennsylvania  Academy 
of  the  Fine  Arts,  in  a  structure  adjoining  the  new  Academy  building  in 
course  of  erection  at  the  south-west  corner  of  Broad  and  Cherry  Streets. 
The  exhibition  is  composed  of  over  a  thousand  sheets,  selected  from  the 
large  and  valuable  collection  of  Mr.  James  L.  Claghorn,  the  President  of 
the  Academy,  for  the  purpose  of  illustrating  the  history  of  the  art  of  en¬ 
graving  on  metal  from  the  earliest  period  to  the  present.  The  exhibition 
is  much  the  largest  and  most  imposing  of  its  kind  that  has  ever  been  held 
in  America,  the  collection  being  especially  rich  in  fine  impressions  from 
plates  executed  by  the  early  engravers.  The  criticisms  herewith  presented 
appeared  in  the  Evening  Telegraph  of  Philadelphia,  on  December 
22d,  26th  and  29th,  1874,  and  January  2d,  8th,  18th,  19th  and  26th,  1875, 
having  been  written  by  Mr.  Wm.  J.  Clarke,  Jr.,  of  the  editorial  staff  of  that 
newspaper,  and  a  member  of  the  committee  in  charge  of  the  exhibition. 
With  these  criticisms  is  also  given  the  address  delivered  by  Mr.  W.  S. 
Baker,  also  of  the  committee,  at  the  opening  of  the  exhibition. 


ADDRESS. 


Ladies  and  Gentlemen: — The  labors  of  the  Committee  are  virtually 
at  an  end.  This  evening,  privately,  to-morrow,  publicly,  is  opened, 
under  the  auspices  and  for  the  benefit  of  “The  Pennsylvania  Academy 
of  the  Fine  Arts,”  an  exhibition  of  unusual  occurrence — an  exhibition 
of  engravings  (the  contribution  of  a  single  individual,  the  President  of 
the  Academy),  which  for  variety  and  extent,  rareness  of  examples  and 
excellence  of  impressions,  has  never  been  equalled  in  this  or  any  other 
city  of  the  Union. 

It  is  the  forerunner  of  what  may  be  expected  from  that  institution  in 
the  time  to  come,  which,  in  changing  its  material  form,  is  about  waking 
up  from  the  apparent  lethargy  of  the  last  few  years.  The  Directors  are 
naturally  desirous  of  success — the  Committee  think  it  merits  it.  They 
ask  you,  therefore,  to  supplement  their  efforts  in  that  direction  by  the 
weight  of  your  presence,  the  enlistment  of  your  sympathies,  and  the  exer¬ 
tion  of  your  influence. 

As  a  member  of  the  Committee,  I  have  been  requested  by  the  President 
of  the  Academy  to  read  a  brief  paper  bearing  on  the  art  whose  produc¬ 
tions  are  here  so  profusely  displayed. 

I  speak  not  as  a  critic,  but  rather  as  a  lover,  with  a  feeling  of  gratitude 
towards  those  who,  dead,  have  bequeathed  us  such  a  wealth  of  pleasure 
and  instruction ;  and  to  those  who,  living,  are  constantly  adding  to  this 
glorious  heritage. 


The  proper  appreciation  and  knowledge  of  an  art  can  be  acquired  only 
by  the  close  observation  and  study  of  its  monuments.  Speaking  thus  in 
its  own  natural  language — far  stronger  than  the  words  of  the  historian — 
the  careful  eye  of  the  student  can  discover  all  its  different  phases  of  origin 
and  development,  trace  its  desires  and  purposes,  and  comprehend  its  fail¬ 
ures  and  successes.  And  accurate  perception  of  its  aim,  a  correct  under¬ 
standing  of  its  progress,  a  keen  appreciation  of  its  efforts  to  reach  the 
development  of  its  higher  qualities,  becomes  thus  a  realization — a  tangible 
essence;  and  the  memory,  fortified  with  the  vivid  impressions  thus  re¬ 
ceived,  gives  to  the  mind  the  power  of  a  sound  judgment  and  a  healthy 
discrimination. 


—  6  — 


Let  us  imagine  for  a  moment  that  the  history  of  modem  painting 
(Italian  art)  could  thus  he  revealed  to  us;  that  on  these  walls  we  could 
find  grouped  for  our  observation  and  study,  the  works  of  the  representa¬ 
tive  masters  of  that  school,  from  its  revival  in  the  thirteenth  century  to 
its  culmination  and  decline  in  the  sixteenth.  That  we  could  trace  its 
progress  from  Giotto,  breaking  loose  from  the  superstitious  reverence  of 
ancient  forms,  then  through  the  more  natural  representations  of  Masaccio, 
and  religious  sentiment  of  Fra  Angelico,  to  the  perspective  and  light 
and  shade  of  De  Vinci,  and  grandeur  of  style  of  Angelo,  to  its  complete 
development  in  the  color  of  Titian  and  Veronese,  and  form  and  expression 
in  Raphael.  Could  this  he  the  case,  can  we  suppose  any  more  complete, 
more  satisfactory  history.  The  volume  would  lie  before  us  for  our  own 
perusal,  and  the  knowledge  thus  obtained  would  be  decided,  comprehen¬ 
sive  and  permanent. 

We  offer  you  just  such  an  opportunity  to  become  familiar  with  the  art 
of  engraving,  to  inquire  into  its  rise,  its  progress,  and  its  efforts  to  a 
perfect  development  of  all  its  powers.  On  these  wall,  awaiting  your 
examination,  hangs  the  history  of  the  art.  Here,  suspended  for  more  con¬ 
venient  reference,  are  the  productions  of  the  graver  from  the  earliest  of 
material  importance  down  to  the  present  hour.  You  can  trace  its  progress 
from  the  stiff  draperies,  conventional  forms,  and  exactness  of  imitation  of 
the  early  German,  through  the  delicate  drawing  and  finer  feeling  of  the 
Italian,  to  the  perfect  representation  and  finish  of  the  later  schools.  The 
volume  is  before  you,  one  well  worthy  of  perusal.  It  will  reveal  much 
that  is  pleasant,  much  that  is  instructive. 

I  shall  not  weary  you  with  the  oft-told  tale  of  the  origin  of  the  practice 
of  taking  impressions  from  engraved  metal  plates,  or  retail  the  many 
arguments,  pro  and  con,  as  to  the  place  or  the  individual.  Suffice  it  to  say, 
that  the  art  has  been  practiced  from  time  immemorial;  but  it  was  not 
until  the  middle  of  tbe  fifteenth  century, — some  say  in  Italy,  others  in 
Germany — that  the  first  impressions  from  an  engraved  metal  plate  were 
obtained. 

What  an  important  influence  has  this  art  exercised  on  the  welfare  of 
mankind  1  In  its  early  history,  the  interpreter  to  the  people  of  the  Mosaic 
law;  then  the  chronicler  of  shining  virtues  and  heroric  deeds  in  monu¬ 
mental  brass;  and  in  its  branch  of  wood  engraving,  the  precursor,  nay, 
the  very  parent  of  printing. 


—  7  — 


As  “the  especial  hand-maiden  of  painting,’’  what  do  we  not  owe  to  it ! 
Through  its  translations,  we  are  brought  into  contact  with  the  pure  minds 
and  earnest  devotion  of  the  early  painters.  Raphael  speaks  to  us  in  tones 
of  sincere  affection,  Angelo  imparts  his  grandeur  of  soul,  and  Titian 
reveals  the  highest  type  of  manhood;  while,  through  its  means  as  an 
original  vehicle  of  expression,  Durer  impresses  with  intensity  of  thought, 
and  Rembrandt  holds  us  with  his  mysterious  charm  of  concentrated  effect. 

The  works  of  the  early  German  engravers,  like  their  paintings  (with 
a  corresponding  dexterity  of  process  and  accuracy  of  detail),  bear  the  same 
formal  character  and  expression;  and  it  is  only  when  we  closely  observe 
their  intense  earnestness  of  purpose  and  devotion  to  truth  that  we  become 
impressed  with  them.  It  is  then  we  find  that,  offering  no  allurement  to 
the  senses,  no  appeal  to  the  merely  beautiful,  they  speak  in  a  language 
that  reaches  the  soul — universal,  penetrating.  These  impressions  are 
beautifully  conveyed  in  the  following  words,  which,  although  written  on 
the  works  of  the  painters,  may  be  equally  applied  to  the  labors  of  the 
early  engravers: — 

“On  entering  the  rooms,  you  are  met  by  a  set  of  still'  figures,  with 
fixed  gaze,  rigid  posture,  long  hands,  and  graceless  drapery,  with  gold 
skies  behind  their  heads,  and  little,  stiff  sprigs  at  their  feet,  whom  at  first 
sight  you  condemn  as  equally  devoid  of  life,  expression  or  truth.  But 
wait  a  while.  A  strange  charm  is  coming  over  you.  You  feel  that  these 
passionless  figures  are  attracting  you  with  a  mysterious  fascination — that 
they  are  telling  you  in  an  language  addressed,  not  to  the  organs  of  sense, 
but  to  the  perception  of  the  spirit,  that  they  were  conceived,  it  is  true,  at 
a  period  when  art  offered  no  blandishment  to  the  eye,  nor  scarce  materials 
for  the  hand,  but  that  which  is  her  highest  aim  and  object — that  which 
was  especially  committed  to  them,  the  idea — has  been  more  safely  pre¬ 
served  in  their  starch  keeping  than  in  the  softer  outline,  freer  touch,  and 
looser  fold  of  a  subsequent  age.  They  tell  you  that  they  have  none  of  the 
pride  of  life,  nor  lust  of  the  eye,  to  attract  a  roving  gaze,  or  to  fix  a 
careless  mind,  but  that  their  faith  is  genuine,  their  love  pure,  and  their 
devotion  intense;  in  short,  that  it  is  not  their  fault,  but  yours,  if  you  are 
of  fouler  eyes  than  to  behold  their  deep  meaning. 

“They  tell  you  also  a  valuable  truth,  viz:  that  spiritual  beauties  will 
always  overcome  earthly  defects.  You  see  a  virgin  on  a  gold  ground 
holding  a  child  no  bigger  than  a  doll,  but  you  forget  all  considerations  of 
disproportion,  in  that  angelic  expression  of  maternal  tenderness,  which 
gains  upon  you  the  longer  you  look.  You  come  to  an  apostle  standing  by 


—8 


a  crucifixion.  He  is  at  least  eight  feet  high,  with  hands  in  proportion;  but 
the  truth  is  in  him — the  inspiration  to  preach  it  and  the  courage  to  die 
for  it. 

“By  this  time,  too,  you  begin  to  discover  many  technical  beauties. 
Though  the  trees  in  the  background  be  like  cabbages,  and  the  figures  in 
the  foreground  like  wooden  images,  yet  there  is  more  air  in  their  skies, 
and  more  blood  in  their  veins,  than  in  the  whole  Dusseldorf  school  put 
together.  The  execution  is  exquisite,  the  colors  tender,  the  shadows  trans¬ 
parent;  while  finished  with  a  minutia  which  claims  the  eye,  and  even  the 
microscope,  to  the  remotest  corner,  yet,  by  a  certain  artless  straight¬ 
forwardness  of  arrangement,  concentrating  the  attention  on  the  principal 
part.” 

Of  this  type  are  t'he  .works  of  Martin  Schongauer — the  head  of  the 
German  School  of  Engraving — an  example:  “The  Adoration  of  the 
Kings,” — No.  1  of  Catalogue — bearing  out  completely  the  words  just 
repeated.  The  sterling  honesty  of  the  period  is  expressed  by  the  exact 
drawing  and  patient  handling  of  the  graver,  while  the  religious  sentiment 
is  conveyed  through  the  devotional  character  imparted  to  the  heads  and 
attitudes  of  the  different  figures. 

A  little  later  in  time  comes  Israel  Yon  Mencken,  still  more  stiff  and 
defective  in  drawing,  and  more  quaint  in  design,  and  we  might  at  first 
glance  easily  pass  “The  Death  of  the  Virgin,” — No.  3.  “But  wait 
a  while  !  A  strange  charm  is  coming  over  you.”  The  eye  softens;  the  stiff 
drawing  passes  away;  the  harsh  folds  of  the  drapery  disappear;  now  the 
heart  warms  up;  the  regularity  of  feature  and  sameness  of  expression  are 
clothed  with  spiritual  character  and  truth,  and  we  are  touched,  deeply 
touched,  with  the  earnestness  of  purpose  and  fulness  of  sincerity  so 
completely  conveyed. 

In  art,  as  in  history  or  in  literature,  there  are  always  some  names,  the 
mere  mention  of  which  at  once  arrest  attention  and  increase  expectancy- 
In  German  art  that  name  is  Durer — Albrecht  Durer,  of  Nurnberg,  the 
master  engraver  of  his  time — indeed,  of  any  time. 

The  character  of  the  man  is  written  in  his  works.  Simple,  painstaking, 
thoughtful,  earnest  and  conscientious,  he  appeals  not  to  the  eye,  but  to  the 
mind.  Marvellous  in  execution  and  accuracy  of  detail  (he  was  the  first  to 
carefully  render  the  texture  of  substances),  his  engravings  show  the  first 
breaking  away  from  the  conventional  forms  of  the  previous  period. 
Origit^l  in  thought,  feeling  and  execution,  yet  full  of  that  same  old  devo¬ 
tional  intensity,  so  closely  identified  witli  the  early  German  mind  and  art. 


—  9  — 


They  interest,  not  merely  from  mechanical  dexterity  and  close  imitation 
(although  in  these  qualities  wonderful  enough),  but  from  something  above 
and  beyond  all  this;  they  are  replete  with  earnest  thought  and  deep 
meaning,  not  always,  however,  easy  to  reach,  yet  still  it  is  there. 

Take  for  example  the  print  called  “The  Knight  Death  and  the  Devil,” 
dated  1513,  No.  27  of  Catalogue.  At  first  sight,  it  appears  to  represent  a 
mounted  knight  clad  in  full  armour  passing  through  a  close  and  dangerous 
defile,  beset  by  perils  of  no  ordinary  character.  Is  it  simply  this  ?  Is  it 
simply  a  perfectly  finished  picture  of  a  man  and  horse,  and  an  expression 
of  the  fantastic  element  of  his  art  ?  Is  it  an  exhibition  of  the  handicraft  of 
an  engraver?  Not  thus  it  must  be  read!  Is  it  not  rather  an  exponent 
of  the  times  ?  The  minds  of  men  were  being  agitated  ;  thought  was 
disturbed  ;  the  great  question  of  the  sixteenth  century  was  looming  up, 
and  we  can  imagine  Durer  brooding  over  the  doubts  and  despairs  arising 
and  distracting  his  soul,  until  they  found  expression  in  his  art.  It  is  the 
type  of  a  Christian  hero  filled  with  a  strong  sense  of  duty,  fully  resolved 
on  his  course,  his  mind  steadfastly  fixed  to  the  end,  neither  looking  to  the 
right  nor  left,  heeding  not  the  wiles  of  the  devil,  nor  dreading  the  terrors 
of  death.  The  stern  visage,  the  firm  seat,  the  determined  grasp  of  the 
bridle-hand,  and  the  steady  tramp  of  the  horse,  are  all  most  significant 
of  the  life  of  a  true  Christian  knight — the  Knight  of  the  Reformation, — and 
wTe  cannot  look  at  this  print  without  entering  into  the  feelings  that  con¬ 
ceived  it,  and  being  carried  back  into  those  times  so  pregnant  with 
thought  and  the  breaking  away  of  the  mists  of  superstition  and  the  abuses 
of  the  early  church;  and  insensibly  the  grand  old  Lutheran  Hymn — “Ein 
feste  Burg  ist  unser  Gott  ” — comes  surging  up  into  our  minds  and  hearts. 

All  the  works  of.  Durer  bear  the  same  character  of  excellence  of 
execution,  depth  of  meaning  and  devotional  feeling.  His  virgins  are 
motherly  and  tender,  his  saints  are  earnest  in  their  self-denial,  and  his 
cavaliers  and  ladies  are  just  as  earnest  in  their  loves. 

Hours  could  be  profitably  employed  in  speaking  of  Durer  and  his  works, 
but  we  must  proceed  with  our  rapid  resume  of  the  master  spirits  of  the 
burin,  and  turn  for  a  while  to  those  of  Italy,  in  whose  works  we  find  a 
closer  attention  to  and  appreciation  of  the  graceful  and  the  beautiful,  with 
a  corresponding  refining  and  softening  tendency. 

The  parallel  between  the  early  Italian  and  German  engravers  may  be 
drawn  as  follows:  The  former  are  the  exponents  of  the  imagination,  the 
latter  of  the  intellect — one  oratory,  the  other  philosophy.  Beauty,  grace 
and  refinement,  united  to  purity  of  outline  and  drawing,  and  appropriate 


10- 


expression,  designate  the  Italians,  while  the  Germans,  although  stiff  and 
Gothic  in  drawing  and  disposition  of  draperies,  and  displaying  little 
knowledge  of  the  human  figure,  reveal  everywhere  deep  thought  and 
sincerity  of  purpose,  appealing  at  once  and  strongly  to  the  intellect.  Each 
powerful  in  their  way — each  characteristic  of  the  different  nationalities; 
and  the  well-balanced  judgment  recognizes  the  importance  of  both  without 
any  desire  of  combining  them;  for  if  such  were  possible,  their  respective 
qualities  would  be  destroyed,  neither  imagination  nor  intellect  would  be 
satisfied. 

That  which  in  Schongauer  is  Gothic  and  dry,  becomes  in  Mantegna — 
the  first  Italian  painter  of  note  to  engrave  his  own  designs — classic  and 
statuesque,  arising  from  top  close  an  adherence  to  the  antique.  This, 
while  imparting  grandeur,  is  just  that  departure  from  the  truth  of  nature 
which  attracts  us  so  strongly  and  with  a  certain  home-like  feeling  in  the 
works  of  the  former. 

Mantegna  is  majestic  rather  than  graceful,  and  imposes  more  by  vigor 
of  drawing  and  peculiarity  of  execution  (eminently'  adapted  to  his  style) 
than  by  elegance  of  contour  and  beauty  of  expression.  We  must  go  a  step 
further  to  find  the  true  exponent  of  Italian  art — one  whose  wonderful 
powers  of  adaptation  place  him  on  a  level  almost  with  the  original 
designer.  It  is  Marc  Antonio  Raimondi,  the  head  of  the  Roman  School  of 
Engravers,  termed  by  Cumberland  “  The  Prince  of  Engravers.  ” 

Raimondi’s  sympathy  with  the  elevated  thought  and  refined  expression 
of  Raphael,  is  so  marked  that  it  has  given  rise  to  the  supposition  that  the 
hand  of  that  master  corrected  his  outline  and  imparted  some  of  his  own  in¬ 
spiration  to  the  plate.  Born  at  Bologna,  where  he  followed  the  craft  of  a 
goldsmith,  he  journeyed  to  Rome,  and  his  print  of  “  Lucretia  Stabbing 
Herself,”  coming  under  the  notice  of  Raphael,  determined  that  artist  to 
secure  his  services.  His  style  was  formed  ;  his  career  was  established. 
His  engravings,  reproductions  of  drawings  only,  were  from  that  time 
made  and  printed  under  the  advice  and  supervision  of  Raphael,  and  for 
purity'  of  outline  and  intelligence  of  translation  have  rarely,  if  ever,  been 
equalled.  Form  and  expressions,  the  elements  of  Italian  art,  first  found 
in  him  their  fitting  exponent  on  the  metal. 

Many'  eminent  engravers  studied  under  him,  of  whom  two — Agostino 
Veneziano  and  Marco  Da  Ravenna — approached  most  nearly  to  the 
master's  style.  Their  merits  are  sufficiently'  proved,  in  as  much  that 
their  works  are  sometimes  taken  for  his. 

Aerial  perspective,  hitherto  neglected,  now  makes  its  appearance  in  the 


—11 


productions  of  Lucas  Van  Leyden,  the  Dutch  contemporary  of  Durer  and 
Marc  Antonio.  The  tender  handling  of  this  distinguished  engraver 
peculiarly  fitted  him  to  give  those  delicate  gradations  of  distance  which 
furnish  ideas  of  space  and  air.  He  practiced  the  art  at  an  early  period  of 
life,  one  of  his  most  important  plates,  the  “  Ecce  Homo,”  No.  65  of  Cata¬ 
logue,  being  executed  at  the  age  of  sixteen.  Careful  in  drawing,  exact  in 
his  markings,  his  works  are  much  prized ;  but  from  his  delicate  manner 
of  using  the  graver  (the  plates  wearing  early)  good  impressions  are 
extremely  scarce,  and  in  those  only  can  his  qualities  be  discerned. 

A  century  later,  Cornelius  Blo'emart  harmonizes  the  effect  by  an  insen¬ 
sible  gradation  from  the  lights  to  the  darks,  and  the  Flemish  school  under 
Bolswert,  guided  by  Rubens,  inaugurates,  by  skilfully  disposed  strokes  of 
the  graver,  the  rendering  of  color.  And  here  it  is  interesting  to  note  the 
connection  of  the  two  painters,  Raphael  and  Rubens,  with  the  art  of 
engraving,  and  how  fully  they  must  have  been  aware  of  its  future  im¬ 
portance  and  influence  in  extending  and  perpetuating  a  knowledge  of 
their  works. 

In  each  case  what  a  remarkable  triumvirate  of  translators.  On  the  one 
hand,  Marc  Antonio,  Agostino  Yeneziano  and  Marco  Da  Ravenna,  in  full 
sympathy  and  accord  with  the  head  of  the  Roman  school,  anxious  not  to 
display  their  talents,  but  to  convey  the  art  of  the  great  master  of  form  and 
expression;  while,  on  the  other,  Bolswert,  Pontius  and  Yorsterman,  fully 
imbued  with  the  vigor  and  color  of  the  Flemish  painter,  are  equally 
solicitous  in  forgetting  themselves  while  rendering  the  characteristics  of 
their  master. 

Thus  their  names  come  to  us  ;  the  former  linked  forever  with  that  of 
Raphael;  the  latter  inseparably  joined  with  that  of  Rubens. 

Our  chain  is  complete.  The  art  of  engraving  is  carried  to  its  limits. 
Durer  gives  us  light  and  shade  and  variety  of  substances  ;  Leyden  indi¬ 
cates  aerial  perspective  ;  Marc  Antonio  style,  drawing  and  expression ; 
Bloemart,  harmony;  and  the  Rubens’  school  inaugurates  a  sense  of  color. 
All  succeeding  work  is  but  a  choice  of  method,  a  successful  carrying  out 
of  these  principles,  by  the  individual  taste  and  powers  of  expression  of 
its  followers. 

Now  engraving  becomes  a  profession  ;  its  disciples,  no  longer  authors, 
are  translators  from  one  language  ot  art  into  another.  In  no  sense  can 
their  works  be  called  copies.  The  true  engraver,  if  left  to  his  own  predi¬ 
lections — thoroughly  prepared  with  all  the  minutia  of  his  calling — repro¬ 
duces  that  only  with  which  he  is  in  sympathy,  the  art  which  he  feels,  the 


—  12 


works  which  impress  him.  He  knows,  with  his  painter,  that  art  is  not 
imitation,  hut  the  expression  of  a  thought,  of  a  sentiment ;  he  seeks  for  the 
idea,  studies  the  style,  and  identifies  himself  with  his  original. 

He  translates  that  idea,  renders  that  style,  and  loses  himself  in  his 
reproduction.  The  great  work  of  the  painter — single,  exclusive — passing 
through  his  hands,  becomes  the  property  of  all ;  gentle  and  simple  are 
alike  affected — cultivated  and  uncultivated  equally  impressed. 

In  the  broad  line  and  vigorous  handling  of  Sharp,  how  admirably  the 
dignity  of  portraiture  is  carried  out ;  while  Nanteuil,  in  his  own  original 
manner,  conveys  the  more  delicate  indications  of  this  branch  of  painting. 

Then  take  the  pride  and  panoply  of  representation  as  exhibited  by  the 
French  painters  of  the  seventeenth  century,  wrhen  engraving  also  took 
upon  itself  all  the  “pomp  and  circumstance”  of  the  time,  and  the  imita¬ 
tion  of  stuft's,  the  texture  of  substances,  the  polish  and  finish  of  the  art, 
may  be  said  to  have  been  carried  to  its  utmost  limits. 

How  consummate,  in  the  works  of  Drevet  (father  and  son),  is  the 
rendering  of  laces,  silks,  furs  and  metals — all  textures,  in  fact, — and  given 
with  such  exquisite  taste  and  skill  that  the  most  fastidious  eye  rests  on 
them  with  delight  and  gratification. 

Then  again,  in  the  later  Italian  school,  how  Longhi,  Morghen,  Ander- 
loni  and  Toschi,  fully  armed  in  all  the  resources  of  the  art,  throw  into 
their  works  the  tenderness  of  Raphael  and  the  soft  graces  of  Correggio ; 
while  the  English,  Strange,  indicates  the  delicacy  of  flesh  tints,  and 
Woollett  enchants  with  his  aerial  perspective. 

Many  engravers,  finding  their  prototypes,  have  given  themselves  almost 
entirely  to  the  translation  of  some  particular  painter.  In  this  list  may 
be  included  the  distinguished  French  engraver  Desnoyers,  baron  by 
virtue  of  his  abilities. 

The  most  esteemed  works  of  this  engraver  are  those  after  the  Holy 
Families  of  Raphael,  and  in  his  talent  for  translating  the  purity  of  ex¬ 
pression  and  excellence  of  drawing  of  that  master,  he  may  not  inaptly 
be  termed  the  modern  Marc  Antonio. 

Ilis  plate  of  “La  Vierge  de  la  Maison  d’Albe,”  engraved  in  1827, 
may  be  cited  as  a  striking  example  of  his  powers,  both  as  am  engraver 
and  translator  of  the  delicacy  and  refinement  of  the  master.  Fine  in 
drawing  and  natural  in  expression,  the  engraver,  by  a  judicious  man¬ 
agement  of  line,  has  preserved  all  the  breadth,  simplicity  and  charm  of 
the  original;  and  this  work  alone  entitles  him  to  be  called  a  great  artist. 

My  remarks  have  necessarily  been  restricted  to  line  engraving,  any  con- 


— 13  — 


sideration  of  mezzotinto,  many  splendid  examples  of  which  are  exhibited, 
being  out  of  the  question;  while  the  light,  graceful  and  captivating  branch 
of  etching  practiced  by  many  eminent  painters,  would  form  a  subject 
of  itself.  Specimens  of  all  the  important  productions  of  the  acid  and  point 
are  here  for  inspection,  making  one  of  the  most  interesting  features  of 
the  exhibition. 

Rembrandt,  the  representative  of  the  art,  is  largely  presented  in  early 
impressions  and  characteristic  work ;  while  Claude,  Ostade,  Potter, — 
indeed,  all  the  etchers  of  the  different  schools,  including  the  French 
painters  of  the  day — are  faithfully  shown. 

But  I  must  pause.  There  is  a  limit  to  patience.  ‘“The  wonders  of  en¬ 
graving”  are  before  you.  They  will  speak  for  themselves,  in  their  own 
natural  language— quiet  but  impressive,  silent  but  eloquent. 

In  closing,  let  me  repeat  the  followTing  graceful  tribute  (from  the  pen 
of  Charles  Dudley  Warner)  to  the  cheering,  educating  and  refining 
influences  of  the  art  of  engraving.  The  print  referred  to  is  in  the  col¬ 
lection.  The  picture,  “The  Return  of  the  Mayflower,”  by  George  H. 
Boughton,  is  owned  by  a  gentleman  of  this  city 

“  The  artist,  in  the  retirement  of  his  studio,  finishes  a  charming,  sug¬ 
gestive,  historical  picture.  It  is  purchased  and  hung  in  the  library  or 
saloon  where  the  privileged  few  can  see  it.  I  do  not  deny  that  the 
average  owner  needs  all  the  refining  influence  the  picture  can  exert  on 
him,  and  that  the  picture  is  doing  missionary  work  in  his  house  ;  but  it 
is  nevertheless  an  example  of  an  educating  influence  withdrawn  and 
appropriated  to  narrow  uses.  But  the  engraver  comes,  and  by  his  mediat¬ 
ing  art  transfers  it  to  a  thousand  sheets,  and  scatters  its  sweet  influence 
far  and  abroad.  All  the  world,  in  its  toil,  its  hunger,  its  sordidness,  pauses 
a  moment  to  look  on  it — that  gray  seacoast ;  the  receding  Mayflower  ;  the 
two  young  pilgrims  in  the  foreground  regarding  it  with  tender  thoughts  of 
the  far  home.  All  the  world  looks  on  it,  perhaps  for  a  moment  thought¬ 
fully,  perhaps  tearfully,  and  is  touched  with  the  sentiment  of  it ; — is 
kindled  into  a  glow  of  nobleness  by  the  sight  of  that  faith,  and  love,  and 
resolute  devotion,  which  have  tinged  our  early  history  with  the  faint 
light  of  romance.  So  art  is  no  longer  the  enjoyment  of  the  few,  but  the 
help  and  solace  of  the  many.” 


CRITICAL  NOTICES. 


i. 

The  large  structure  on  Broad  Street,  below  Cherry,  adjoining  the  new 
Academy  of  the  Fine  Arts,  in  which  the  politicians  were  wont  during 
many  seasons  past  tfi  meet  the  always  imminent  crisis  with  furious 
outpourings  of  verbal  patriotism,  has  been  dedicated  to  other  and  very 
different  uses.  The  genius  of  the  line  arts  has  driven  the  political 
spouter  from  his  platform,  and  the  Wigwam  has  been  transformed  into  a 
gallery  for  the  exhibition  of  the  works  of  men  whose  silent  influences  are 
perhaps  more  potent  for  the  reason  that  they  are  silent,  and  that  they 
speak  to  the  soul  and  to  the  intelligence  through  the  medium  of  a 
voiceless  hut  universal  language.  The  Directors  of  the  Academy  of  the 
Fine  Arts,  having  purchased  the  large  lot  adjoining  their  new  building  on 
the  south,  it  was  determined  to  utilize  the  structure  standing  upon  it  for 
the  purpose  of  an  exhibition  which  would  be  at  once  interesting,  instruc 
tive  and  of  importance  as  a  prelude  to  the  formal  dedication  of  the 
magnificent  edifice  now  approaching  completion ;  an  edifice  which  will  be 
both  a  fine  art  museum  and  a  school  for  the  thorough  education  of  artists 
superior  to  any  in  America. 

Many  of  our  readers  will  recollect  the  engravings  exhibited  at  the  Union 
League  last  season.  These  were  selected  with  care  and  judgment  from 
the  large  and  valuable  collection  of  Mr.  James  L.  Claghorn,  the  Presi¬ 
dent  of  the  Academy  of  the  Fine  Arts,  and  they  formed  much  the  most 
interesting  feature  of  the  exhibition  held  under  the  auspices  of  the  League. 
As  the  selection  was  a  representative  one,  covering  the  whole  history  of 
the  engraver’s  art,  so  far  as  was  practicable  within  the  space  at  command, 
the  display  excited  much  enthusiasm,  not  only  in  this,  but  in  other  cities, 
and  its  importance  was  fully  acknowledged  by  those  most  competent  to 
judge  of  its  merits.  The  works  were  afterwards  exhibited  in  Boston  and 
in  Brooklyn,  and  then  in  Cincinnati,  -where  they  attracted  a  great  deal  of 
attention;  and  so  lively  an  interest  appeared  to  be  excited  with  regard  to 
them  that  it  was  determined  to  arrange  a  very  much  more  elaborate  dis¬ 
play,  which  would  be  as  complete  in  all  its  departments  as  a  cai'eful  selec¬ 
tion  from  the  treasures  of  a  most  valuable  collection  could  possiblj-  make 


—  15  — 


it.  The  interior  of  the  Wigwam  was  therefore  arranged  hy  the  construc¬ 
tion  of  a  number  of  large  screens,  by  the  introduction  of  lighting  and’ 
heating  apparatus,  and  other  alterations;  and  for  several  weeks  a  committee 
of  gentlemen,  composed  of  Directors  of  the  Academy  of  Fine  Arts,  and  art 
connoisseurs  not  connected  with  that  institution,  were  busily  engaged  in 
selecting  the  prints,  and  in  hanging  them  in  their  appropriate  places  on 
the  walls.  The  exhibition  opened  with  a  private  view  on  December  20, 
1874,  at  which  the  prints  were  viewed  by  a  large  number  of  invited  guests 
— nearly  two  thousand  persons  being  present — and  a  formal  opening  was 
made  hy  the  delivery  of  an  address  by  Mr.  W.  S.  Baker — a  member  of  the 
committee  who  has  made  a  special  study  of  engravings — in  which  the 
artistic  progress  of  the  art  was  briefly  but  ably  reviewed. 

In  some  respects,  engravings  are  better  understood  and  appreciated  than 
any  other  class' of  art  works.  Hundreds  of  people  who  cannot,  or  who 
think  they  cannot,  afford  to  buy  original  paintings,  decorate  their  homes 
with  engravings;  and  it  is  one  of  the  commonplaces  of  art  culture  that  a 
good  engraving  is  far  better  worth  having  than  a  bad  painting.  Engrav¬ 
ing,  as  a  fine  art — for  it  is  a  fine  art — is,  however,  scarcely  appreciated 
at  its  true  value.  Apart  altogether  from  the  subjects,  there  are  hun¬ 
dreds  of  prints  in  the  thousand  or  more  in  the  exhibition  now  under  re¬ 
view,  which  are  exceedingly  interesting  on  account  of  their  high  techni¬ 
cal  qualities,  or  on  account  of  the  place  which  they  hold  in  the  history  of 
the  art.  This  should  be  borne  in  mind  by  persons  visiting  the  exhibition, 
for  no  such  opportunity  as  the  present  one  has  ever  been  offered  in 
America  for  the  study  of  the  different  schools  of  engraving  or  for  an 
analysis  of  the  styles  of  the  individual  artists. 

The  great  importance  of  engravings,  however,  is  in  the  fact  that  by 
means  of  them  we  are  able  to  study  and  enjoy  the  works  of  the  great 
masters;  for,  until  the  discovery  of  photography,  it  was  only  through  the 
engraved  copies  that  a  vast  majority  of  us  were  able  to  know  anything  of 
priceless  masterpieces  of  ancient  and  modern  art  preserved  with  jealous 
care  in  the  museums  and  in  the  private  collections  of  Europe.  But  pho¬ 
tography,  valuable  as  it  is  as  a  means  of  reproduction,  cannot  supercede 
engraving;  for  a  fine  impression  from  a  steel  or  copper  plate  has  qualities 
which  are  not  to  be  found  in  the  very  best  photographs.  It  is  impossible 
to  overestimate  the  importance  of  an  art  like  this,  that  finds  its  way 
into  every  household,  and  that  exerts  so  potent  an  influence  on  the  educa¬ 
tion  of  the  taste  of  the  masses.  It  would  he  simply  an  impossibility  to  get 
together  in  this  city,  or  in  this  countrjq  a  collection  of  paintings  which 


—  16  — 


would  remotely  approximate  in  completeness — or  in  its  representative 
character — to  the  collection  of  engravings  which  the  public  are  now  invited 
to  inspect.  The  exhibition  is  especially  rich  in  very  fine  impressions  from 
some  of  the  most  celebrated  plates  executed  by  Albrecht  Durer,  Lucas 
Van  Leyden,  Rembrandt,  and  other  artists  of  the  first  rank,  and  this  alone 
entitles  it  to  the  consideration  of  connoisseurs.  We  recommend  our 
readers  to  visit  this  exhibition,  in  order  that  they  may  judge  for  themselves 
of  its  character;  and  we  promise  that  they  will  find  abundant  edification 
and  entertainment  in  the  careful  study  of  the  many  beautiful  works 
of  which  it  is  composed.  It  is  proper  we  should  state  that,  as  the  exhi¬ 
bition  is  held  under  the  auspices  of  the  Academy  of  the  Fine  Arts,  so  the 
proceeds  will  go  into  the  treasury  of  that  institution  for  the  purpose  of 
aiding  the  speedy  completion  of  the  new  building.  This  is  a  matter  in 
which  all  educated  persons  who  can  appreciate  the  value  of  art  culture 
and  the  refining  and  elevating  influences  which  an  Academy  of  the  Fine 
Arts  must  exert,  are  interested,  and  the  exhibition  should  be  liberally 
patronized  for  this  reason,  if  no  other. 


II. 

The  exhibition  is  very  rich  in  fine  impressions  from  plates  by  the  early 
masters.  These  quaint  and  often  ugly  prints  are  not  likely  to  be  as  attrac¬ 
tive  to  many  persons  as  some  of  the  impressions  from  elaborately-finished 
plates  by  modern  engravers.  They  are,  however,  in  reality  the  most  inter¬ 
esting  features  of  the  exhibition,  as  those  who  study  them  carefully  will 
speedily  discover.  In  the  “Adoration  of  the  Kings”  and  the  “Christ 
before  the  High  Priest,”  by  Martin  Schongauer,  we  see  the  engraver's 
art  in  its  infancy.  It  is  a  robust  infancy,  however;  for  crude  as  these 
works  may  be,  they  are  full  of  feeling  and  power,  and  they  are  a  fitting 
prelude  to  the  manly  work  of  Albrecht  Durer  in  the  latter  part  of  the  same 
century.  Both  of  these  impressions  from  Scliongauer’s  plates  are  good, 
the  first-named  especially,  being  an  early  one  in  admirable  condition.  After 
Schongauer,  of  the  German  school,  come  Israel  Von  Mencken  and  A. 
Stockenden,  the  first  represented  by  the  “The  Death  of  the  Virgin”  and 
“  Judith  with  the  Head  of  Holofernes  ” — both  very  fine  impressions — and 
the  second  by  “Christ  before  Pilate”  and  “ La  Descente  aux  Limbes.” 
In  all  of  these  engravings  we  see  talent  of  a  high  order  struggling  with 
imperfect  knowledge  of  what  at  the  present  day  are  considered  the  simplest 


-IT- 


artistic  principles.  The  drawing  is  crude,  and  there  is  little  knowledge 
of  perspective' or  of  light  and  shade.  The  artists  had  not  yet  learned  to 
see  nature  except  in  her  most  superficial  aspects,  hut  they  had  ideas,  and 
profound  religious  feelings,  and  repulsive  as  their  work  is  at  a  first  glance, 
its  evident  sincerity  speedily  impresses  the  spectator,  and  he  finds  in  the 
quaint,  ugly  designs  a  peculiar  charm  that  is  absent  from  many  of  the 
more  finished  works  of  the  collection.  These  men  put  their  souls  into 
their  labor,  and  there  is  an  inspiration  in  their  treatment  of  religious 
themes  especially,  that  is  irresistibly  fascinating. 

Of  the  Germans,  next  comes  Albrecht  Durer,  a  reverend  name,  which 
cannot  be  mentioned  with  too  much  honor.  We  have  in  him  one  of  the 
finest  artistic  geniuses  that  ever  lived,  and  as  the  opportunity  afforded  by 
the  present  exhibition  for  a  critical  study  of  his  works  is  a  very  rare  one, 
artists  and  lovers  of  art  should  avail  themselves  of  it  to  the  utmost. 

The  collection  of  prints  by  Durer  numbers  fifty-eight,  and  although  we 
miss  some  of  his  most  celebrated  and  characteristic  performances — the 
‘•Melancholy,”  for  instance — it  is  a  very  complete  exposition  of  his  various 
styles  and  of  his  artistic  progress.  The  sixteen  small  plates,  representing 
•“The  Passion  of  our  Lord,”  are  worthy  of  many  hours  study  in  them¬ 
selves.  These  are  all  brilliant  early  impressions,  and  each  plate  is  a  perfect 
jewel,  both  in  design  and  execution.  It  is  singular  how  like  and  yet  how 
unlike  the  figure  of  Christ  in  these  prints  is  to  that  ideal  which  the  works 
of  the  Italian  masters  have  succeeded  in  establishing.  There  is  a  sugges¬ 
tion  of  the  Christ  of  Raphael  and  Leonardo  De  Yinci  in  all  of  these  plates, 
but  the  figures,  while  not  so  gaunt  and  meagre  as  in  the  works  of  other  * 

early  German  artists,  suggest  more  of  our  common  humanity  than  do  the 
representations  of  Christ  by  the  Italian  artists.  It  is  evident  that  the  men 
of  the  cold  Horth,  where  life  was  a  hard,  severe  struggle,  and  a  constant 
conflict  with  stern  realities,  read  the  New  Testament  story  from  a  different 
standpoint  from  that  of  the  people  born  under  the  sunny  skies  of  Italy. 

They  knew  what  the  pangs  of  poverty  were,  and  witli  them  Christ  was  the 
poor  man’s  friend;  and  in  attempting  his  representation  they  had  no 
thought  of  that  graceful  idealization  by  which  the  southern  artists  attempted 
to  suggest  something  superhuman — tliey  only  aimed  at  depicting  a  man 
of  sorrow  and  acquainted  with  grief.  There  is  something  profoundly 
pathetic  in  some  of  Durer’s  representations  of  Christ  in  this  beautiful  series 
of  plates,  and  it  is  impossible  not  to  be  impressed  with  the  idea  that  the 
German  artist,  severe  and  labored,  with  a  crude,  hard,  unformed  style,  has 

given  his  work  a  noble  quality  which  we  find  lacking  in  that  of  his  great 
‘2 


18  — 


Italian  contemporaries.  These  plates  are  among  the  most  finely  finished 
of  any  that  were  engraved  by  the  hand  of  Durer.  The  draperies  are 
hard  and  stiff,  as  in  all  of  his  works,  but  they  are  studied  with  astonishing 
accuracy,  and  every  fold  in  the  texture  of  a  garment  is  delineated  with  an 
artistic  fidelity  that  esteemed  nothing  that  was  to  be  done  unimportant,  or 
of  so  little  consequence  that  it  could  be  slighted.  Some  of  the  figures  are 
exceedingly  curious.  Take,  for  instance,  that  of  the  High  Priest  in  the 
act  of  rending  his  garments.  Here  we  have  a  stout  well-fed  fifteenth 
century  abbot  or  bishop  delineated  to  the  life.  The  expression  of  wrath, 
indignation  and  astonishment  in  the  face  of  this  flabby  old  gentleman 
would  be  absolutely  comical,  were  not  the  subject  so  serious  a  one,  or 
were  the  artist  less  evidently  in  earnest.  In  the  plate  representing  Pilate 
washing  his  hands,  the  attendant  who  is  holding  the  basin  is  a  remarkable 
bit  of  grotesque  character-drawing.  This  spruce,  well-clothed  lackey, 
with  his  huge  chin,  his  sensual  mouth,  his  little  pug  nose,  full  of  the  im¬ 
portance  of  his  position  as  a  prominent  figure  for  the  moment  on  a  great 
public  occasion,  as  well  as  of  his  importance  as  the  personal  attendant 
of  the  great  man  of  the  day,  is  as  striking  a  delineation  as  any  in  the 
whole  series.  W e  would  call  especial  attention  to  the  exquisite  manner 
in  which  the  hands  of  Pilate  in  this  plate  are  drawn.  Fine  drawing  in 
the  hands  and  feet  is  one  of  the  tests  of  artistic  excellence;  and  not  only 
are  these  particular  hands  beautifully  drawn,  but  the  action  of  washing 
is  expressed  with  singular  refinement  and  delicacy.  Indeed,  in  all  of 
Durer’s  representations  of  the  human  figure,  the  hands  and  feet  are  deline¬ 
ated  with  wonderful  skill.  This  is  a  point  which  persons  commencing  to 
*  study  his  works  will  do  well  to  notice  with  particularity. 

Scarcely  less  interesting  than  the  Passion  plates,  is  the  series  of  twenty 
wood-cuts  representing  the  “Life  of  the  Virgin.”  The  female  figures  in 
these  cuts — especially  those  of  the  Virgin — are  very  quaint,  but  they  are 
nearly  all  very  beautiful,  and,  like  the  representations  of  Christ  to  which 
we  have  referred,  they  are  even  more  suggestive  than  the  more  graceful 
performances  of  artists  who  were  Durer’s  superiors  in  technique.  There  is 
a  peculiar  charm  about  all  of  Durer’s  Madonnas.  Take,  for  example,  the 
beautiful  little  print  of  “The  Virgin  Crowned  by  an  Angel,” — No.  14 
of  the  Catalogue.  Here  the  artist  has  taken  for  a  model  a  plump,  round- 
faced,  blue-eyed,  flaxen-haired  little  Nuremberg  damsel, 

“  A  creature  not  too  bright  or  good 
For  human  nature’s  daily  food 

but  he  has  contrived  to  express  in  the  bright,  happy  face  a  virginal  purity 


19  — 


that  is  as  lovely  in  its  way  as  the  awe  and  wonderment  of  the  Italian 
peasant  girl  balancing  herself  on  the  clouds,  amidst  a  choir  of  cheru¬ 
bim,  between  Pope  Sixtus  and  Saint  Barbara,  in  Raphael’s  “  Sistine 
Madonna.” 

In  concluding  this  very  imperfect  review  of  the  works  of  Durer  in  the 
exhibition,  we  would  invite  our  readers  to  critically  examine  “The  Knight 
and  Death,’’  No.  27;  the  ‘‘St.  Hubert,”  No.  20;  and  the  “‘Great’ 
Fortune,”  No.  24.  The  first-named  is  one  of  Durer’s  most  famous  works, 
and  this  particular  impression  is  a  very  brilliant  one.  The  second  is  the 
largest  plate  ever  engraved  by  the  artist,  and  it  has  a  high  reputation  with 
connoisseurs,  both  on  account  of  the  treatment  of  the  subject  and  the 
mechanical  execution.  The  “•  Great’  Fortune  ”  is  a  very  peculiar  and  a 
very  characteristic  performance,  the  landscape  especially  being  elaborated 
in  Durer’s  best  manner. 

Apart  from  their  intrinsic  merit,  these  plates  are  most  interesting  as 
showing  the  efforts,  in  the  face  of  enormous  difficulties,  of  a  great  artistic 
genius  to  give  adequate  expression  to  the  ideas  which  crowded  his  brain. 
It  is  plainly  to  be  seen  that  Durer’s  progress  was  slow,  laborious  and  painful. 
He  had  to  originate  his  own  methods,  to  discover  for  himself  many  of  the 
elementary  principles  of  drawing,  perspective,  light  and  shade,  and  com¬ 
position,  and  his  whole  career  was  a  course  of  self-education  in  matters 
that  students  of  art  of  the  present  day  are  expected  to  learn  before  they 
can  be  qualified  to  produce  works  that  will  be  worthy  of  notice.  What 
enormous  strides  Durer  made  is  indicated  in  his  print  of  “  St.  Jerome 
Reading.”  There  is  no  impression  from  the  original  plate  in  this  exhi¬ 
bition,  but  there  is  a  very  admirable  copy  (No.  Ill  on  the  Catalogue), 
executed  by  Jerome  Wierix  at  the  age  of  thirteen.  In  this  the  artist  ad¬ 
vanced  at  one  step  from  mere  outlines  and  suggestions  of  light  and  shade 
to  a  complete  composition,  the  chiaro-oscuro  of  which  is  all  but  perfect.  It 
is  scarcely  possible  at  the  present  day  to  appreciate  the  effort  which  was 
needed  to  achieve  such  a  result  as  this,  or  to  properly  credit  the  artist  for 
the  amount  of  physical  and  intellectual  labor  bestowed  upon  the  achieve¬ 
ment.  But  the  story  of  Durer’s  life  is  the  story  of  noble  intellectual  effort 
in  a  noble  cause,  and  his  artistic  life,  as  exemplified  in  his  works,  is  full  of 
instruction  not  only  for  artists,  but  for  all  who  wish  to  understand  the 
secret  of  success  and  enduring  reputation  in  other  things  as  well  as 
in  art. 


—  20  — 


III. 

Apart  altogether  from  any  other  consideration,  the  exhibition  is  interest¬ 
ing  on  account  of  the  opportunities  it  affords  for  comparing  different 
schools  of  art  during  their  periods  of  development.  In  some  respects,  the 
first  efforts  of  the  German  and  the  Italian  engravers  are  very  curiously 
alike,  but  it  is  apparent  at  a  glance  that  different  inspirations  operated 
in  Germany  and  in  Italy  to  produce  the  results  we  have  before  us.  In 
both  countries  art  had  its  origin  in  religion,  and  the  works  of  the  artists 
of  the  South,  as  well  as  of  the  North,  are  for  the  most  part  religious  in 
subject  and  are  prompted  by  a  profound  religious  sentiment.  In  Italy, 
however,  classic  influences  were  at  work  at  a  time  when  the  Germans 
were  laboring  to  express  their  own  ideas  in  their  own  way,  without 
regard  to  what  other  men  had  done  before  them;  and  these  influences, 
it  is  plainly  to  be  seen,  were  depressing  in  some  particulars,  while  they 
were  stimulating  in  others.  In  the  two  plates  by  Andrea  Mantegna,  the 
earliest  Italian  engraver  represented  in  this  exhibition, — “The  Flagella¬ 
tion  ”  and  “The  Combat  of  Marine  Gods,” — the  classic  influence  is 
strongly  marked.  Certain  technical  qualities  were  apparently  of  more 
importance  to  the  artist  than  the  sentiment  to  be  expressed  by  his  design. 
His  figure-drawing  is  simpler  and  bolder,  his  composition  graceful  and 
more  purely  conventional,  and  his  style  of  wielding  the  graver  more  firm 
and  vigoi'ous  than  in  the  contemporary  German  work.  The  same  qualities 
are  observable  in  the  two  prints  by  Robetta — “The  Adoration  of  the  Kings’  ’ 
and  “  A  Man  Fastened  to  a  Tree  by  Love.”  These  are  both  very  quaint 
and  very  characteristic  works,  the  nude  human  figure  evidently  having  an 
attraction  as  an  object  of  study  for  the  Italian  artist  which  it  did  not  have 
for  the  German;  and  badly  drawn  and  queer  as  the  nude  figures  in  the 
engravings  by  Mantegna  and  Robetta  are,  there  is  an  appreciation  of  the 
refinements  of  form  which  we  do  not  find  in  the  works  of  even  so  able  a 
man  as  Durer,  although  that  great  artist  evidently  understood  the  value  of 
the  study  of  the  nude,  and  labored  hard  to  educate  himself  by  means  of  it. 

From  Mantegna  and  Robetta  to  Marc  Antonio  Raimondi  and  his  pupils, 
— Marco  da  Ravenna  and  Agostino  de  Veneziano, — is  a  great  advance,  but 
not  so  great  a  one  as  might  at  first  be  supposed.  Marc  Antonio  improved 
and  perfected  the  art  of  engraving  in  many  important  particulars,  but  his 
style  was  based  upon  that  of  his  predecessors,  and  like  theirs  was  indebted. 


—  21  — 


for  many  of  its  most  striking  peculiarities,  to  the  classic  influences  which 
uever  quite  died  out  in  Italy,  and  which  aided  so  materially  the  artitstic 
renaissance  which  culminated  in  the  stupendous  performances  of  Michael 
Angelo  and  Raphael.  Marc  Antonio  was  a  pupil  of  Raphael,  and  a  large 
proportion  of  the  plates  engraved  by  him  are  from  drawings  made  by  that 
master.  His  plates,  engraved  from  Raphael’s  designs,  are  very  interesting 
as  specimens  of  that  artist’s  style  and  as  independent  interpretations  of  it 
by  a  man  of  kindred  genius.  Most  of  Marc  Antonio’s  engravings  were 
from  rapid  sketches  made  by  Raphael  for  his  use,  the  form  and  the  distri¬ 
bution  of  light  and  shade  being  scarcely  more  than  indicated,  and  the 
symmetrical  elaboration  of  the  design  being  left  to  the  engraver.  This 
style  of  working  was  one  of  the  customs  of  the  time,  the  master  artist  pre¬ 
paring  the  studies  for  his  pictures,  and  then  entrusting  all  but  the  most 
delicate  portions  to  pupils,  who  drew  or  painted  immediately  under  his  eye 
and  according  to  his  direction.  Among  the  nine  engravings  by  Marc 
Antonio,  five  are  after  Raphael,  and  they  are  all  stamped  unmistakably  with 
the  impress  of  Raphael’s  genius.  No.  41  of  the  Catalogue,  for  instance, 
which  is  not  after  Raphael,  is  decidedly  Germanesque  in  treatment, 
although  it  lacks  much  of  that  careful  exactness  and  attention  to  detail 
which  is  to  be  found  in  contemporary  German  work;  and  it  is  interesting 
to  compare  it  with  the  severe  simplicity  and  the  artistic  refinement  of 
No.  89,  “La  Vierge  a  l’Escalier,”  or  No.  44,  “The  Two  Sibyls  with 
the  Zodiac.”  There  is  some  curious  bad  drawing  in  nearly  all  of  these 
plates,  for  which  Raphael  was  probably  quite  as  responsible  as  his  engraver. 
The  sketches  and  studies  of  this  great  artist — a  large  number  of  which 
have  been  reproduced  by  Braun’s  autotype  process — sometimes  exhibit 
queer  crudities  in  drawing  in  spite  of  their  general  high  order  of  excel¬ 
lence,  and  the  probabilities  are  that  the  engraver  did  not  sufficiently  refine 
upon  his  originals.  Apart,  however,  from  the  drawing,  it  is  delightful  to 
notice  how  well  the  engraver  understood  his  own  particular  art.  with  what 
a  sure  and  firm  hand  he  guided  his  graver,  and  with  rvhat  simplicity  of 
method  he  achieved  all  he  aimed  at.  With  such  results  as  were  arrived  at 
by  Marc  Antonio’s  genius,  the  rudiments  of  the  art  of  engraving  were 
resolved  into  a  system,  and  his  successors  had  a  comparatively  easy  task 
before  them  in  perfecting  the  different  styles,  which  are  represented  by  im¬ 
mense  numbers  of  modern  works  which  compose  the  bulk  of  this  ex¬ 
hibition. 

Marc  Antonio’s  pupils,  Marco  da  Ravenna  and  Agostino  de  Veneziano, 
engraved  after  his  method,  and  in  some  particulars  improved  on  his  style. 


_ 22 _ 


There  are  in  the  exhibition  three  prints  by  the  first-named  and  eight  by 
the  second,  most  of  which  are  either  after  Raphael  or  after  the  antique. 
The  most  interesting  of  the  series  is  a  large,  elaborately  finished  and 
finely  executed  plate  by  Agostino — Iso.  52  of  the  Catalogue — representing 
four  young  men  conducting  a  sorceress  in  triumphal  procession  on  the 
skeleton  of  a  monstrous  animal,  called  “Le  Stregozza.” 

In  connection  with  these  engravings  by  Marc  Antonio  and  his  pupils, 
the  visitor  should  examine  the  plates  by  Giulio  Bonasone,  after  Titian  and 
Michael  Angelo;  those  by  Caraglio,  after  Titian  and  Jac.  Yeronensis;  the 
heads  of  six  Roman  Emperors,  by  C.  Reverdinus;  and  “The  Fall  of 
Phaeton,”  Ho.  89,  after  Michael  Angelo,  by  Nicholas  Beatrizet,  all  of 
which  are  of  the  school  of  Marc  Antonio. 

Of  the  Hortliern  engravers  of  the  same  period — the  close  of  the  fifteenth 
and  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century — the  Dutchman,  Lucas  Yan 
Leyden,  was  indisputably  the  greatest.  There  are  nine  impressions  from 
plates  by  this  master  in  the  exhibition,  including  his  “Ecce  Homo,”  an 
elaborate  and  beautiful  work,  engraved  at  the  early  age  of  sixteen.  This 
is  a  very  quaint  study  of  a  Netherlandish  town,  with  its  homely,  matter-of- 
fact  people  introduced  as  the  witnesses  of  a  scene  which  the  artist  evidently 
had  not  imagination  or  information  enough  to  represent  as  occurring  ex¬ 
cept  amidst  surroundings  such  as  he  himself  was  accustomed  to.  In  this  he 
but  followed  the  usual  custom  of  the  Northern  artists,  who,  with  great  sim¬ 
plicity,  took  the  New  Testament  story  home  to  themselves,  and  saw  types 
of  the  old  Scribes  and  Pharisees  and  other  objectionable  Judaeans  in  the 
people  around  them.  This  plate  is  a  really  wonderful  performance  for  a  boy 
of  sixteen,  and,  after  studying  it,  we  are  better  prepared  to  appreciate  the 
great  beauties  of  the  other  plates  executed  by  Yan  Leyden  at  a  more  mature 
age.  These,  with  four  exceptions,  are  Scriptural  subjects,  and  only  one, 
“Pyramus  and  Thisbe,”  No.  67,  is  classic  in  its  inspiration;  and  it  is  im¬ 
possible  to  speak  in  too  high  terms  of  the  exquisite  manner  in  which  they 
are  executed.  “The  Virgin  Attended  by  Two  Angels,”  No.  63,  is  a  very 
coarse,  homely  Dutch  frau,  with  scarcely  a  trace  of  the  peculiar  refined 
sentiment  which  is  observable  in  nearly  all  of  Durer’s  Madonnas,  and  the 
angels  were  evidently  fed  upon  pork  and  sauer-kraut  rather  than  upon 
more  celestial  viands.  The  simple  earnestness  of  the  work,  however, 
makes  it  respectable  despite  its  coarseness,  while  as  a  specimen  of  delicate 
manipulation,  it  is  beyond  all  praise.  It  is  worth  while  to  notice,  in  com¬ 
paring  the  Yan  Leyden  with  the  Durer  series,  to  note  how  the  Dutch 
artist  improves  upon  the  drawing  of  the  great  German.  There  is  just  a 


—  28 


trace  of  Durer’s  stiffness  in  these  draperies,  but  otherwise  they  are  more 
artistically  disposed,  are  quite  as  exactly  but  more  gracefully  rendered, 
and  the  prints  indicate  very  clearly  that  the  elementary  principles  of  com¬ 
position,  light  and  shade  and  form,  are  beginning  to  be  properly  under¬ 
stood. 

Of  the  works  of  the  German  engravers  from  the  beginning  to  the  middle 
of  the  sixteenth  century,  the  exhibition  contains  a  number  of  very  fine 
specimens.  Some  of  them,  like  Van  Leyden’s  plates,  show  a  marked  ad¬ 
vance  in  all  technical  points,  while  some  of  them  are  even  more  quaint 
and  primitive  than  the  performances  of  Durer  and  his  predecessors.  A 
most  interesting  example  of  this  latter  class  of  works  is  “The  Baptism  of 
the  Eunuch,”  by  Albert  Claas.  There  is  a  great  deal  of  admirable  expres¬ 
sion  in  the  figures  in  this  print,  but  the  work  is  chiefly  noteworthy  on  ac¬ 
count  of  the  odd  manner  in  which  the  engraver  has  attempted  to  indicate 
form  and  light  and  shade  by  means  of  a  series  of  fine  lines  cut  across 
portions  of  the  plate.  Of  the  more  finely-finished  works — from  a  modern 
point  of  view — we  may  mention  the  three  by  Hans  Sebald  Beham,  ‘  ‘  The 
Prodigal  Son,”  No.  69;  “Patience,”  No.  70,  and  “Victory, ”  No.  71;  the 
nine  by  George  Pencz,  Nos.  77  to  85,  inclusive,  representing  “Thomiris, 
Queen  of  the  Scythians,  with  the  Head  of  Cyrus;”  “  Virginius  Killing  his 
Daughter;”  “The  Rape  of  Amymome,”  and  the  six  “Triumphs”  of 
Petrarch;  and  the  series  of  four,  by  Heinrich  Aldegriver,  representing  the 
story  of  Lot.  The  workmanship  of  these  is  marvellously  fine,  and  they 
will  well  repay  the  most  careful  study. 


IV. 

After  the  elementary  principles  of  an  art  have  been  formulated,  progress 
must  necessarily  be  rapid,  for  the  artist  is  no  longer  hampered  by  the  in¬ 
adequacy  of  the  means  at  his  command  for  the  expression  of  his  ideas. 
We  accordingly  find  in  the  works  of  the  engravers  of  the  sixteenth  and 
seventeenth  centuries,  as  represented  in  the  exhibition,  qualities  which 
are  lacking  in  those  of  the  fifteenth,  but  the  style  of  cutting  is  still  very 
simple,  and  the  results  aimed  at  are  reached  by  the  most  direct  means. 
Take,  for  instance,  “The  Last  Supper,”  by  Georgio  Ghisi,  after  Lambertus 
Lombardus,  No.  97;  “The  School  of  Athens,”  after  Raphael,  by  Philip 
Thomassen,  No.  101;  “St.  Sulpitius;  or,  the  Council,”  by  Nicholas  Pitau, 


—  24  — 


after  J.  B.  de  Champange,  No.  102;  “The  Descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
after  T.  Zucarro;  and  “The  Annunciation,”  after  Titian,  by  Cornelius 
Cort,  Nos.  103  and  104;  and  “The  Virgin  Weeping  over  the  Dead  Body 
ot  Christ;”  and  the  series  entitled  “The  Six  Masterpieces,”  Nos.  116  to- 
122,  inclusive,  by  Hendrich  Goltzius,  as  specimens  of  the  Italian,  French, 
German  and  Dutch  schools  of  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century.  These 
are  very  different  in  style,  and  the  engravers  evidently  had  different  ends 
in  view  as  well  as  different  degrees  of  executive  skill.  In  all  of  them, 
however,  the  effects  desired  are  produced  by  the  most  direct  methods  pos¬ 
sible,  pure  line  work  being  used,  the  tones  us  well  as  the  forms  being  ex¬ 
pressed  by  variations  in  the  contours  and  in  the  strength  of  the  lines. 
Only  in  the  deepest  shadows  is  there  any  cross-hatching,  while  in  some  of 
the  most  brilliant  of  the  prints  there  is  none  at  all.  The  “St.  Sulpitius” 
of  Pitau  is  a  superb  specimen  of  this  severe  style  of  cutting,  but  it  is  pro 
bably  surpassed,  great  as  it  is,  in  some  of  the  liner  elements  of  artistic 
workmanship,  by  the  plates  cut  by  Goltzius.  The  six  great  prints  repre¬ 
senting  “The  Annunciation,”  “The  Visitation,”  “  The  Adoration  of  the- 
Shepherds,”  “The  Circumcision,”  “The  Adoration  of  the  Magi,”  and 
“  The  Holy  Family,”  are  really  masteityieces  in  the  best  sense  of  the  word. 
This  engraver  professed  to  imitate  the  styles  of  other  men,  but  his  own  in¬ 
dividuality  is  unmistakably  stamped  upon  his  works,  and  in  many  respects 
he  surpasses  those  whom  he  pretends  to  accept  as  models.  The  print  re¬ 
presenting  “The  Virgin  Weeping  over  the  Dead  Body  of  Christ”  is  in 
imitation  of  Durer;  but,  as  a  comparison  with  the  admirable  collection  of' 
Durer’s  prints,  which  forms  such  an  important  and  valuable  a  feature  of 
the  exhibition,  will  show  at  a  glance,  it  has  qualities  which  even  the  best 
of  Durer’s  works  lack.  This  exquisite  engraving  is  one  of  the  gems  of  the 
exhibition.  It  is  masterly  in  design,  and  there  is  a  power  and  a  pathos  in 
the  two  figures,  the  impression  produced  by  which  intensifies  the  more 
closely  the  work  is  examined,  while  the  superb  simplicity  of  the  engraver’s 
method  commands  the  most  ardent  admiration.  The  six  “masterpieces  ” 
are  unfortunately  hung  so  high  that  it  is  not  easy  to  give  them  the  close 
and  critical  examination  they  deserve;  but  this  print  is  most  advanta¬ 
geously  placed  for  study,  and  it  will  repay  all  the  attention  bestowed  upon  it. 

Towards  the  close  of  the  seventeenth  century,  we  find  some  of  the  en¬ 
gravers  beginning  to  get  away  from  the  severe  simplicity  of  the  early  days 
of  the  art,  and  to  use  stipple  work,  especially  for  the  purpose  of  expressing 
flesh  textures.  Durer  and  other  early  engravers  used  stippling  to  some- 
extent  in  their  deep  shadows,  but  that  was  different  from  the  stippling 


25 


upon  such  an  engraving  as  “The  Virgin,  St.  Jerome,  and  Mary  Mag¬ 
dalen,”  “The  ‘Great’  St.  Jerome”  and  “The  Crucifixion,”  by  Agostino 
Carracci,  just  as  that  is  something  very  different  from  the  point-work  of 
modern  engravers.  The  stippling  of  Carracci  is  merely  a  modification  of 
the  line,  and  it  undoubtedly  expresses  certain  qualities  of  flesh  texture 
more  perfectly  than  the  pure  line  does.  It  is  the  method  of  a  genuine 
artist,  and  not  that  of  a  mere  craftsman  who  is  in  search  of  the  easiest, 
rather  than  the  best  means  of  executing  his  task. 

As  under  the  influence  and  patronage  of  Raphael  the  Italian  school  of 
engraving  was  organized  with  Marc  Antonio  Raimondi  as  its  chief  expo¬ 
nent,  so  a  century  later  a  Flemish  school  arose  under  Rubens.  There  are 
three  impressions  from  plates  by  Lucas  Vosterman,  one  by  Boetius  Bols- 
wert,  six  by  Schelte  A.  Bolswert,  and  four  by  Paulus  Pontius,  the  pupils 
of  Rubens  and  the  interpreters  in  metal  of  his  designs.  All  of  these  engrav¬ 
ings  are  either  after  Rubens  or  Van  Dyck,  and  it  is  easily  to  be  seen  that 
something  more  has  been  aimed  at  than  the  delineation  of  mere  form  or 
the  expression  of  ideas.  The  engravers  have  endeavored  to  at  least  sug¬ 
gest  the  color-quality  of  Rubens’  painting,  and  the  complex  methods  of 
cutting  adopted  gives  these  prints  a  more  modern  appearance  than  those  of 
any  of  their  predecessors.  It  is  evident  that  with  these  men  the  art  of  en¬ 
graving  had  nearly,  if  not  quite,  reached  its  highest  development,  and  that 
there  was  little,  if  anything,  for  their  successors  to  learn, 

The  exhibition  contains  a  large  number  of  admirable  works  by  famous 
engravers  of  different  nationalities  of  the  period  to  which  we  are  now  re¬ 
ferring — the  end  of  the  sixteenth  and  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth 
century.  There  are  four  impressions  from  plates  by  Jan  Muller,  the 
Dutch  engraver,  two  of  which,  portraits  after  Rubens,  of  Albert,  Archduke 
of  Austria,  and  Isabella  Clara  Eugenia,  his  Archduchess,  are  particularly 
noteworthy.  The  set  of  fourteen  “Passion”  prints,  by  J.  De  Gheyn,  are 
very  fine,  and  should  be  compared  with  the  similar  series  by  Durer. 
These  are  from  designs  by  C.  Vanmander,  one  of  the  most  illustrious  of 
the  Flemish  predecessors  of  Rubens;  and  while  there  is  a  curious  dispro¬ 
portion  in  some  of  the  figures— the  artist’s  idea  on  the  subject  of  perspec¬ 
tive  evidently  having  been  slightly  vague,— they  have  certain  technical 
qualities,  both  as  designs  and  as  engravings,  which  are  lacking  in  Durer’s 
prints.  Admirable,  however,  as  these  engravings  are  in  sentiment,  there 
is  a  spirituality  in  Durer’s  work  which  we  do  not  find  in  them.  Another 
most  interesting  series  is  made  up  of  six  plates  by  Count  Palatine  H.  Van 
Goudt.  The  style  of  cutting  in  these  is  very  original  and  very  effective. 


—  26- 


Five  of  the  engravings  are  strong  efforts  of  light  and  shade,  after  A. 
Elzheimer,  viz:— “The  ‘Little’  Tobit;”  “The  ‘Great’  Tobit;  ”  “The 
Flight  into  Egypt;”  “Ceres  Changing  Stellion  into  a  Lizard;”  and 
“Jupiter  and  Mercury  in  the  House  of  Philemon  and  Baucis.’’  '  The  other 
print,  an  “Aurora,”  is  an  exquisite  tone  study.  The  six  prints  by  Claude 
Mellan,  the  Frenchman,  are  striking  specimens  of  pure  line  work,  and  one 
of  them,  “The  Sudarium  of  St.  Veronica,”  No.  172,  is  a  remarkable 
artistic  tour  de  force,  it  being  executed  by  means  of  a  single  line.  This  of 
course  is  chiefly  interesting  as  a  curiosity,  but  its  artistic  qualities  command 
our  admiration  as  well. 

During  the  period  we  have  been  considering,  several  etchers  appeared; 
but  as  etching  is  a  distinct  art  from  engraving,  we  will  discuss  them  here¬ 
after  in  connection  with  other  practitioners  in  the  same  line. 


V. 

The  works  which  we  have  thus  far  considered  do  not  number  one- 
fourth  of  the  entire  collection,  and  yet  they  are  the  ones  which  should 
receive  special  study,  as  they  cover  the  period  of  the  development  of  the 
art,  and  because  many  of  them  are  very  rare  impressions  of  the  best  per¬ 
formances  of  famous  men.  The  other  engravings,  while  they  do  not  call 
for  the  same  kind  of  comment,  are  nevertheless  well  worthy  of  the  notice 
of  those  who  visit  the  exhibition,  for  they  not  only  represent  the  progress 
of  the  engraver’s  art,  during  a  period  of  more  than  two  centuries,  in 
Europe  and  in  America,  but  a  large  number  of  them  are  reproductions  of 
artistic  masterpieces,  and  are  exceedingly  interesting  on  account  of  their 
subjects,  apart  altogether  from  their  technical  qualities.  Indeed,  it  can 
scarcely  be  expected  that  many  persons,  except  those  who  have  made  a 
study  of  the  art  of  engraving,  can  be  greatly  interested  in  the  different 
methods  employed,  although  the  enjoyment  of  intelligent  visitors  will  be 
greatly  enhanced  if  they  will  take  the  trouble  to  make  for  themselves  some 
comparisons  of  the  different  styles.  Take,  for  instance,  the  four  prints, 
Nos.  548,  640,  681  and  750.  These  are  impressions — some  of  them  very 
fine  ones — from  engravings  of  the  “Madonna  di  San  Sisto,”  of  Raphael,  in 
the  Dresden  galleiy,  by  John  G.  Scliultze,  Frederick  Muller,  Moritz 
Steinla  and  George  Nordheim.  Although  the  numbers  on  them  are  scat¬ 
tered  in  the  Catalogue,  the  prints  are  grouped  in  such  a  manner  that  they 


—  27- 

can  readily  be  examined  together;  and  they  should  receive  careful  exami¬ 
nation,  if  only  for  the  sake  of  noting  how  greatly  engravings,  made  by  able 
men,  may  vary  in  their  interpretations  of  an  original  work.  Each  of  the 
engravers,  in  this  instance,  appears  to  have  had  a  somewhat  different  aim, 
and  there  is  a  wide  difference  in  the  style  as  well  as  in  the  quality  of  their 
work.  Another  comparison  of  this  kind  may  be  made  between  No.  597, 
“The  Reading  Magdalen,”  of  Correggio,  engraved  by  Giuseppi  Longhi, 
and  the  same  subject  engraved  by  Frederick  Knolle,  No.  764.  The 
Italian  engraver  seems  to  have  endeavored  to  reproduce  the  quality  of  the 
original  painting  before  it  had  become  darkened  by  time,  while  the  Ger¬ 
man  has  evidently  copied  what  he  saw  before  him  with  great  literalness. 
Both  are  very  beautiful,  and  that  of  Knolle  is  particularly  interesting,  as 
there  are  six  impressions  from  the  plate,  the  landscapes  in  all  being 
finished,  but  showing  the  progress  of  the  work  on  the  figure  from  the 
etched  outline  to  the  last  touch  of  the  graver.  A  glance  at  this  series 
of  impressions  will  give  some  idea  as  to  how  fine  an  art  line  engraving  is, 
and  how  delicate  is  the  manipulation  required  in  order  to  obtain  the  bril¬ 
liant  results  we  have  in  a  highly-finished  plate. 

As  an  example  of  exquisite  finish,  we  would  call  particular  attention  to 
No.  778,  by  Johann  August  Edward  Mandel,  one  of  the  greatest  of  modern 
German  engravers.  This  is  a  portrait  of  Frederick  Wilhelm,  “  The  Great 
Elector,”  and  it  was  engraved  expressly  to  illustrate  the  folio  edition  of 
the  works  of  Frederick  the  Great,  prepared  under  the  direction  of  the  late 
King  of  Prussia,  for  presentation  to  the  crowned  heads.  There  is  no  more 
beautiful  example  of  pure  line  engraving  in  the  exhibition  than  this. 
All  of  the  impressions  from  Mandel’s  plates — of  which,  in  addition  to  the 
portrait  referred  to,  there  are  eleven — are,  however,  worthy  of  critical 
inspection  as  admirable  specimens  of  a  very  delicate  yet  bold  and  masterly 
style  of  cutting. 

In  sitting  down  before  a  painting,  for  the  purpose  of  reproducing  it  in 
monochrome,  the  engraver  is  compelled  to  make  a  selection  of  certain 
elements  in  it  as  best  suited  for  reproduction,  or  at  least  a  certain  style  of 
reproduction,  just  as  a  painter,  in  endeavoring  to  put  a  bit  of  nature  on 
canvas,  finds  it  impracticable  to  represent  everything  he  sees,  and  must,  of 
necessity,  concentrate  his  faculties  upon  certain  elements  of  the  scene 
before  him.  In  a  majority  of  cases,  engravers  are  content  to  give,  as  near 
as  possible,  a  transcript,  in  black  and  white,  of  the  artist’s  design;  but 
an  engraver  who  is  thoroughly  imbued  with  the  artistic  spirit,  will  at  least 
attempt  to  suggest  something  of  the  handling  and  even  of  the  color  of 


his  original.  The  difficulty  of  the  engraver’s  task  is,  of  course,  increased 
in  the  case  of  an  old  painting  which  has  deepened  in  tone,  or  which  has 
faded  so  that  the  original  intention  of  the  artist  is  hard  to  discover.  The 
question  in  such  a  case  as  this,  is  whether  it  is  better  to  reproduce  the  work 
as  it  is,  only  correcting  the  obvious  defects  of  age,  or  to  endeavor  to  recon¬ 
struct  the  picture  in  imagination  and  engrave  it  as  if  fresh  from  the  artist’s 
hand.  Of  these  different  methods  of  looking  at  pictures  for  the  purposes  of 
engraving,  we  have  examples  in  the  copies  of  “  The  Sistine  Madonna  ”  of 
Raphael,  and  of  “  The  Reading  Magdalen  ”  of  Correggio,  to  which  refer¬ 
ence  has  already  been  made.  As  a  specimen  of  a  very  successful  rendering 
ot  the  “quality  ”  of  a  painting — and  by  this  we  mean  as  close  a  transla¬ 
tion  into  black  and  white  of  a  work  in  color  as  can  be  made — the  engraving 
of  “The  Virgin  and  Infant  Jesus,”  after  Bolticelli,  by  F.  Gaillard,  Mo. 
836,  is  especially  noteworthy.  In  this  the  engraver  has  evidently  tried  to 
give  us  everything  but  the  color,  and  he  has  certainly  succeeded  marvel¬ 
lously  in  reproducing,  not  merely  the  archaic  drawing  and  the  sentiment 
of  the  original  work,  but  its  tone  and  texture. 

How  an  engraver  of  the  highest  accomplishments  may  sometimes  fail  in 
reproducing  that  which  is  most  valuable  in  a  picture,  is  shown  by  Cala- 
matta’s  copy  of  the  “Mona  Lisa”  of  Leonardo  De  Vinci,  Mo.  750.  This 
masterpiece  of  portraiture  is  in  the  Louvre,  and  is  in  remarkably  good  con¬ 
dition  for  a  work  of  its  age,  but  portions  of  it  have  faded,  and  have  been 
otherwise  damaged  in  tone,  so  that  the  task  of  interpreting  it  as  it  originally 
appeared  when  freshly  painted,  must  be  a  very  difficult  one.  De  Vinci 
labored  four  years  upon  this  picture,  and  then  gave  it  up  as  unfinished,  being 
unable  to  express  everything  he  wished  upon  the  canvas;  and  it  is,  perhaps, 
the  greatest  portrait  that  has  ever  been  painted,  the  finest  master  of  expres¬ 
sion  that  ever  lived  having  endeavored  to  reveal  something  of  the  soul  of 
the  woman  who  sat  for  him,  in  his  representation  of  her  upon  the  canvas. 
To  catch  the  faint  smile  upon  the  face  of  the  “Mona  Lisa  ”  must  be  to 
the  engraver  almost  as  much  of  a  task  as  it  was  to  the  painter,  and  that 
Calamatta  has  not  succeeded  in  catching  it,  is  proven  by  a  comparison 
between  one  of  Braun’s  autotypes  from  the  original  and  this  very  beautiful 
engraving.  The  face  in  Calamatta’s  work  is  rounder  and  plumper,  but 
the  peculiar  smiling  expression  is  not  the  same  as  in  the  autotype;  and 
in  a  work  like  this,  where  everything  depends  upon  the  expression,  to  lose 
it  is  to  lose  everything.  The  engraving,  however,  reproduces  details  of 
the  drapery  and  background  which  the  autotype  gives  in  a  very  imperfect 
fashion,  owing  to  the  faded  condition  of  the  painting,  and  it  is  for  that 


29  — 


V 


reason,  if  no  other,  worthy  of  the  regards  of  De  Vinci’s  admirers.  There 
are  three  other  engravings  by  Calamatta  in  the  exhibition — “La  Vierge  a 
la  Chaise,”  after  Raphael,  No.  749;  ‘‘The  Vow  of  Louis  XIII,”  after 
Ingres,  No.  751;  and  ‘‘Francesca  de  Rimini,”  after  Ary  Scheffer’s  master¬ 
piece.  This  last  is  a  remarkably  fine  impression,  being  a  brilliant  artists’ 
proof,  with  the  engraver’s  autograph.  The  picture  from  which  this  engrav¬ 
ing  was  made  we  regard  as  the  most  sympathetic  and  most  masterly 
illustration  of  Dante’s  text  ever  designed. 

The  modern  engravings  referred  to  in  this  notice  have  been,  for  the  most 
part,  mentioned  for  the  purpose  of  suggesting  consideration  of  particular 
points,  but  there  are  many  others  which  are  equally  entitled  to  notice, 
a  full  discussion  of  the  merits  of  which  would,  however,  demand 
more  space  and  a  different  treatment  than  is  possible  under  the  existing 
circumstances.  We  would,  however,  invite  attention  to  the  admirable 
series  of  portraits  and  other  works  by  Robert  Nanteuil,  Nos.  268  to  280; 
of  Gerard  Edelink,  Nos.  293  to  310;  of  Peter  Drevet,  Nos.  317  to  326;  of 
Peter  Imbert  Drevet,  Nos.  334  to  339, — the  portrait  of  J.  B.  Bousset, 
Bishop  of  Meaux,  after  Rigaud,  in  this  series,  is  a  superb  engraving;  the 
set  representing  the  Almighty,  St.  Mary,  St.  Joseph,  Christ,  and  the 
twelve  Apostles,  by  Giovanni  Marco  Pitteri,  after  J.  G.  Piazetta,  Nos.  342 
to  357, — a  very  remarkable  series  of  engravings,  the  heads  being  drawn 
with  great  power,  and  engraved  by  single  strokes  running  from  top  to 
bottom  ;  the  series  by  Jean  George  Wille,  Nos.  388  to  422,  many  of  which 
are  fine  early  impressions,  and  several  being  duplicates  representing 
different  states  of  the  plates;  the  series  by  Robert  Strange,  Nos.  437  to 
450,  of  which  the  “Venus”  and  the  ‘  ‘  Danae,  ”  after  Titian,  are  admirable 
examples  of  artistic  engraving  ;  the  series  by  William  Wollett,  Nos.  484 
to  497  ;  the  series  by  William  Sharp — the  most  masterly  of  the  English 
engravers — Nos.  528  to  540  ;  the  series  by  Raphael  Morglien — one  of  the 
greatest  of  modern  engravers — Nos.  562  to  582  ;  the  series  by  Joseph 
Theodore  Richomme,  Nos.  651  to  656;  the  series  by  Paul  Toschi,  Nos. 
664  to  671;  the  series  by  Henriquel  Dupont,  Nos.  705  to  708 — the  “Mar¬ 
riage  of  St.  Catharine,”  after  Correggio,  and  the  “Hemicycle”  of  the 
Palace  des  Beaux  Arts,  after  Delaroche — are  splendid  examples  of  the  art 
of  engraving;  and  the  series  of  engravings  after  Turner,  by  J.  F.  Will- 
more,  Nos.  732  to  736. 


30  — 


VI. 

The  mezzotint  method  of  executing  a  design  upon  a  metal  plate,  like 
etching,  is  a  distinct  art,  and  differs  materially  from  engraving  proper,  by 
which  the  surface  of  the  steel  or  copper  is  cut  into  with  a  sharp  instru¬ 
ment.  Tradition  has  it  that  this  method  was  the  invention  of  Prince 
Rupert,  who  was  induced  to  institute  certain  experiments  by  observing 
the  fine  stippling  caused  by  rust  upon  the  polished  surface  of  a  musket 
barrel.  A  Hessian  officer  named  Ludwig  Von  Siegan,  and  Sir  Christopher 
Wren,  the  architect,  have  also  been  credited  with  having  originated  it.  A 
mezzotint  plate  is  prepared  for  the  hand  of  the  operator  by  covering  it 
with  innumerable  fine  dots  by  means  of  instruments  called  rockers,  fitted 
with  fine-pointed  teeth.  The  design  is  then  executed  by  scraping  away 
this  dotted  surface  to  a  greater  or  less  degree,  according  to  the  strength  of 
the  tone  which  it  is  desired  to  produce.  It  is  usual  in  mezzotint  work,  as 
in  engraving  proper,  to  make  use  of  the  etching  process  for  securing  the 
outline,  and  sometimes  for  aiding  in  giving  definiteness  to  the  stronger 
shadows.  In  fact,  all  three  processes  are  not  unfrequently  combined  in 
the  same  plate,  etching  in  particular  being  largely  used  by  steel  engravers 
as  a  labor-saving  expedient.  But,  while  the  etching  and  mezzotint  pro¬ 
cesses  may  occasionally  be  resorted  to  by  engravers,  they  are,  in  their  in¬ 
tegrity,  distinct  arts,  and  the  class  of  effects  produced  by  them  are  very 
different  from  those  which  result  from  the  use  of  the  graver. 

Mezzotint  has  been  so  much  used  for  cheap  illustrations  to  books,  and 
for  the  production  of  cheap  and  inartistic  designs,  that  it  has  rather  fallen 
into  disrepute;  but,  like  every  other  art,  it  has  its  strong  points,  and  in  the 
hands  of  a  master  it  is  capable  of  realizing  excellent  results.  Indeed,  in 
some  particulars,  it  is  much  superior  to  steel  engraving,  as  there  is  a  depth 
and  richness  of  tone  in  a  well-executed  mezzotint  such  as  is  seldom  to  be 
found  in  an  impression  from  a  plate  cut  with  a  point.  What  the  qualities 
of  a  fine  mezzotint  are  in  comparison  with  those  of  a  steel  engraving  can 
be  exemplified  by  examining  the  copy  of  Correggio’s  “Reading  Mag¬ 
dalen,”  No.  607,  by  James  Ward,  with  the  impressions  from  the  admirable 
plates  executed  by  Giuseppe  Longhi,  No.  597,  and  by  Frederick  Knolle, 
No.  764.  There  is  more  brilliancy  in  the  engraving,  but  the  mezzotint 
certainly  suggests  the  qualities  of  a  painting  with  greater  accuracy,  and 
we  have  no  doubt  that  it  approximates  more  closely  in  several  important 
particulars  to  its  original. 


—  31  — 


The  mezzotints  in  the  exhibition  are  arranged  by  themselves  on  the 
platform  at  the  west  end  of  the  room,  and,  as  the  majority  of  the  prints  are 
from  plates  executed  by  the  most  famous  masters  of  the  art,  an  admirable 
opportunity  is  afforded  for  estimating  the  importance  of  a  process  which 
has  many  sterling  qualities  to  commend  it  to  the  consideration  of  the  con¬ 
noisseur.  Nearly  all  of  these  plates  are  by  English  mezzotintists,  the 
process  not  having  been  practised  to  any  great  extent  on  the  Continent; 
indeed,  there  are  only  three  prints  by  Continental  artists,  No.  504, 
“The  Two  Sons  of  Rubens,”  after  Rubens;  No.  595,  “The  Baptism 
of  Christ,”  after  Guido  Reni,  by  Johann  Peter  Pichler,  the  German;  and 
No.  710,  “A  Dragoon  of  the  Guard,”  after  Odier,  by  G.  Maile,  the  French¬ 
man.  All  of  these,  however,  are  works  of  great  merit,  the  first-named 
especially  being  a  very  beautiful  print.  The  earliest  mezzotint  in  the  col¬ 
lection  is  a  portrait  after  Sir  Godfrey  Kneller,  No.  315,  by  John  Smith, 
executed  probably  about  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century.  After 
this  come  a  couple  by  J.  Simon,  both  after  Raphael — “The  Lame  Man 
Healed  by  Peter  and  John,”  and  “Paul  Preaching  at  Athens.”  The 
finest  specimens  of  the  English  mezzotint  school,  however,  are  to  be  found 
among  the  works  of  Richard  Earlom,  William  Pether,  Valentine  Green, 
J.  R.  Smith,  John  Murphy,  James  Ward  and  Samuel  Cousins.  There 

are  eight  prints  by  Earlom  in  the  collection,  all  of  which  are  noteworthy _ 

“The  Blacksmith’s  Shop,”  No.  455,  is  a  peculiarly  imposing  perfo nuance, 
a  singular  effect  of  light  and  shade  being  rendered  with  the  finest  artistic 
skill.  The  fruit  and  flower  pieces,  after  Van  Huysam,  Nos.  456  and  457; 
“A  Concert  of  Birds,”  after  Mario  da  Fion,  No.  459;  and  “The  Royal 
Academy  of  Art  in  London,”  No.  460,  after  J.  Zoffani — representing  the 
academicians  posing  a  model  in  the  life  school  in  the  early  days  of  the 
Academy — are  works  of  great  interest.  Other  notable  prints  are  the  “Eli 
and  Samuel,”  after  J.  S.  Copely,  No.  503,  by  Valentine  Green;  “Ariadne 
and  Theseus,”  after  Fuseli,  No.  514,  by  J.  B.  Smith;  “  Jael  and  Sisera,” 
No.  546,  after  James  Northcote,  and  “  The  Cyclops  at  the  Forge,”  No.  547, 
after  Luca  Giordana,  by  John  Murphy;  “Ugolino  and  His  Children,”  No. 
637,  after  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds;  “The  Strawberry  Girl,”  No.  739,  after 
Sir  Joshua  Reynolds,  by  Samuel  Cousins;  and  “Charles  Mathews  in  Five 
Characters,”  No.  877,  after  Harlowe,  by  Henry  Meyer.  The  mezzotintists 
appear  to  have  had  a  great  partiality  for  Rembrandt’s  works,  and  there  are 
a  number  of  very  effective  reproductions  of  pictures  by  that  artist  in  the 

collection,  as,  for  instance,  “The  Centurion,”  No.  606,  by  James  Ward _ 

the  copy  of  Rubens’  “Diana  and  her  Nymphs,”  No.  605,  by  this  mezzo- 


32 


tintist,  is  an  admirable  work;  “  The  Shipbuilder  and  his  Wife,”  No.  G12, 
by  C.  H.  Hodges;  ‘‘The  Tribute  Money,”  No  374,  by  James  Macardell; 
“An  Old  Woman  Plucking  a  Fowl,”  No.  451,  by  Richard  Houston; 
“Portrait  of  Rembrandt,”  No.  454,  by  Richard  Earlom;  “Rembrandt’s 
Father,”  No.  463,  by  John  Greenwood;  “The  Lord  of  the  Vineyard,” 
No.  475,  and  “The  Jewish  Rabbi,”  No.  476,  by  William  Pether. 

This  notice  would  not  be  complete  without  a  special  mention  of  the 
works  of  our  Philadelphia  mezzotintist,  Mr.  John  Sartain,  an  artist  whose 
best  works  will  rank  with  the  best  that  have  been  executed.  Mr.  Sartain 
is  represented  by  six  plates,  two  of  which — “Christ  Rejected,”  No.  872, 
after  Benjamin  West’s  well-known  picture,  and  “The  Iron  Worker  and 
King  Solomon,”  No.  873,  after  Christian  Schussele — are  among  the  largest 
he  has  engraved.  There  are,  however,  four  portraits  in  the  series — one  of 
the  late  Thomas  Sully,  one  of  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence,  one  of  Mrs.  Robert 
Gilmore,  and  one  of  Robert  Gilmore,  after  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence — which 
are,  we  believe,  regarded  by  Mr.  Sartain  as  his  finest  performances,  and 
are  certainly  very  beautiful. 


VII. 

The  etchings  form  a  very  interesting  portion  of  the  exhibition,  on 
account  of  their  numbers,  their  great  merit,  the  distinguished  names 
attached  to  them,  and  the  importance  of  etching  as  an  accessory  of  the  art 
of  engraving,  and  as  an  independent  art.  Before  proceeding  to  discuss 
the  merits  of  these  very  beautiful  works,  it  will  be  well  for  us  to  state,  as 
briefly  as  possible,  the  method  by  which  the  etchers  produce  their  peculiar 
•effects.  As  we  have  already  explained,  an  engraving  proper  is  made  by 
cutting  away  the  surface  of  the  steel  or  copper  plate,  while  a  mezzotint 
effect  is  managed  by  scraping  a  prepared  surface  so  as  to  produce  a  grada¬ 
tion  of  tones.  For  etching  purposes,  a  steel  or  copper  plate  is  covered 
with  a  varnish,  of  which  asphaltum  is  a  principal  ingredient.  The  design 
is  sketched  lightly  upon  this,  and  the  artist  then,  with  needles  of  various 
degrees  of  fineness,  scratches  through  the  varnish,  exposing  the  surface  of 
the  metal  wherever  he  draws  a  line.  When  the  drawing  is  completed 
the  plate  is  immersed  in  a  bath  of  diluted  nitric  acid,  and  the  metal, 
wherever  exposed  by  the  scratches  of  the  needle  through  the  varnish, 
is  “bitten”  to  various  depths,  according  to  the  strength  of  the  lines 


—  83  — 


desired.  There  are  various  details  of  manipulation  which  must  be  learned 
before  an  etcher  can  he  considered  as  a  master  of  his  art;  such  as  “slop¬ 
ping  out”  the  more  delicate  portions  with  varnish,  and  “ rebiting”  the 
darker  parts,  “dry-pointing,”  “burnishing,”  etc.;  but  what  we  have 
noted  are  the  essential  points.  Etching,  as  has  been  stated,  is  much  used 
by  steel  engravers  to  secure  their  outlines,  and  in  other  portions  of  their 
work;  but  it  is,  nevertheless,  an  art  in  itself,  and  the  qualities  of  an  impres¬ 
sion  from  an  etched  plate  are  very  different  from  those  of  an  impression 
from  an  engraved  one.  In  many  respects,  engraving  is  a  more  complete 
art  than  etching,  but  there  is  a  depth  and  richness  of  tone,  suggestions  of 
color,  and  a  freedom  of  handling  in  an  acid-bitten  plate  which  we  do  not 
find  in  one  cut  by  the  burin. 

Engraving  is  a  sort  of  accessory  art  to  painting,  and  it  is  chiefly  used  to 
give  transcripts,  in  black  and  white,  of  paintings  and  drawings,  modern 
practitioners,  especially,  very  seldom  cutting  designs  of  their  owm,  but 
contenting  themselves  with  copying  those  of  other  people.  Etching,  how 
ever,  has,  from  the  earliest  times,  been  largely  used  by  original  artists, 
a,nd  an  impression  from  a  fine  plate,  etched  by  Rembrandt,  or  Guido 
Reni,  or  Claude  Lorraine,  or  Fortuny,  is  practically  the  same  thing  as  an 
original  drawing  in  black  and  white  would  be.  In  an  engraving — except 
when,  as  in  the  case  of  Durer,  the  artist  engraves  his  own  design— 
another  mind  and  another  hand  interposes  between  the  original  artist  and 
the  spectator  ;  but  in  one  of  Rembrandt’s  or  one  of  Fortuny’s  etchings  we 
are  brought  immediately  in  contact  with  the  artist  himself,  and,  beyond 
everything  else,  it  is  because  etching  is  an  artist’s  method  that  it  is  worthy 
of  consideration. 

This  beautiful  art  was,  at  one  time,  in  great  favor  with  artists,  but  it 
gradually  fell  into  disuse,  and  was,  for  a  considerable  period,  scarcely 
practised  at  all,  except  for  the  production  of  political  caricatures  and  cheap 
book  illustrations.  Of  late,  however,  there  has  been  an  etching  revival 
which  has  already  produced  results  of  a  most  gratifying  character,  and 
-which  will,  doubtless,  continue  to  do  so.  Indeed,  the  modern  school  of 
etching  equals,  and,  in  some  respects,  surpasses,  in  the  quality  of  its 
work,  the  best  performances  of  former  times,  and  the  plates  executed  by 
Fortuny,  Unger,  Flameng  and  Jacquemart,  lose  little  or  nothing  in  com¬ 
parison  with  those  of  even  such  a  master  as  Rembrandt. 

-  The  earliest  etching  in  the  exhibition  is  by  Durer — No.  18,  “Christ  in 
the  Garden.”  There  are  two  by  Annibal  Carracci— “  The  Penitent  Mag¬ 
dalen”  and  “Holy  Family,”  Nos.  123  and  124.  Then  come  six  by  Guido 


—  34  — 


Ileni,  of  which  we  would  call  particular  attention  to  the  charming  sketch 
of  a  “Holy  Family,’’  No.  145,  of  which  two  impressions  are  shown,  and 
No.  147,  a  “Madonna  and  Child.”  With  this  last  is  a  copy,  by  Mattoli, 
and  the  difference  between  the  design,  as  it  came  from  the  artist’s  hand  and 
as  it  was  reproduced  by  the  copyist,  is  very  marked,  and  will  serve  to 
illustrate  what  we  have  said  about  the  value  of  etching  as  a  method  by 
which  artists  may  be  able  to  speak  directly  to  their  public.  Four  etchings, 
by  Claude  Lorraine,  Nos.  168  to  171,  give  us  something  more  than  hints  of 
the  charming  qualities  which  distinguish  the  paintings  of  that  fine  artist; 
but  these,  like  the  others  mentioned,  and  the  others  of  this  period  in  the 
exhibition  which  we  have  not  space  to  comment  upon,  are  scarcely  more 
than  sketches  and  studies,  interesting  for  their  suggestiveness  and  because 
they  are  original  works,  but  doing  little  more  than  hinting  at  the  possi¬ 
bilities  of  the  aquafortis  process.  It  is  not  until  we  come  to  the  works 
of  Rembrandt  Van  Ryn  that  we  discover  what  the  possibilities  of  that 
process  really  are.  The  collection  is  rich  in  wrnrks  by  Rembrandt,  the 
number  of  designs  being  very  large,  and  many  of  them  being  early  and 
brilliant  impressions  from  some  of  his  most  important  plates.  Next  to 
the  Durer  series,  these  Rembrandts  constitute  the  most  imposing  feature 
of  the  exhibition. 


VIII. 

The  exhibition  affords  unusal  opportunities  for  the  study  of  the  works 
of  the  greatest  master  of  chiaro-oscuro  that  ever  lived,  Rembrandt  Van 
Ryn.  There  are  no  less  than  thirty  impressions  from  plates  etched  by 
Rembrandt  himself,  many  of  them  being  his  most  famous  works,  whilst 
scattered  through  the  exhibition  are  numerous  copies,  by  the  different  pro¬ 
cesses  of  engraving,  mezzotinting  and  etching,  of  his  performances  with 
the  brush  as  well  as  with  the  etching  needle.  Some  of  these  copies  are  them¬ 
selves  very  remarkable  works.  Leopold  Flameng’s  copy — No.  824 — of  the 
etching  of  ‘ 'Christ  Healing  the  Sick,”  No.  194,  known  as  the  Hundred 
Guilder  Piece,  is  astonishingly  close  to  the  original  in  every  respect,  not 
only  the  texture  but  all  the  little  accidents  of  handling  being  imitated  with 
really  wonderful  skill.  Flameng’s  etching  from  Rembrandt’s  painting  of 
“Le  Ronde  de  Nuit,”  No.  825,  is  another  great  performance,  and  it  might 
readily  pass  for  an  original  by  Rembrandt  himself.  This  is  Flameng  e 


-35- 


last  work,  and  it  undoubtedly  gives  him  the  very  first  place  among  the 
living  etchers. 

Herman  Grimm  is  usually  such  an  appreciative  critic  that  it  is  rather 
surprising  to  find  him,  in  summing  up  the  merits  of  the  master  artists,  in 
the  concluding  chapter  of  his  “Life  of  Michael  Angelo,”  dwelling  so 
strongly  as  he  does  upon  Rembrandt’s  realism,  without  giving  him  credit 
for  intellectual  and  poetical  qualities  which  place  him  far  above  the  mere 
copyists  of  nature.  Rembrandt  undoubtedly  is  intensely  real,  and  his  bits 
of  landscape,  the  figures  which  are  introduced  in  his  compositions  and  liis 
interiors  are  accurate  copies  of  the  aspects  of  nature,  the  humanity  and  the 
domestic  apparatus  that  met  his  eye  from  day  to  day.  His  figures  have  an 
astonishing  vitality;  they  are  as  unpoetical,  as  unsentimental,  and  as  real 
as  it  is  possible  to  make  representations  of  men  and  women  on  canvas  or 
on  copper.  But  did  Rembrandt’s  merits  as  an  artist  stop  here,  he  would  be 
no  greater  than  a  dozen  other  men  who  might  be  named.  The  fact  is  that 
this  Dutchman  had  the  faculty  of  expressing  sentiment  by  means  of  chiaro- 
oscuro  to  a  greater  degree  than  any  other  artist  who  ever  lived.  Some  of 
Fortuny’s  etchings  in  this  exhibition  will  compare  most  favorably  with 
Rembrandt’s  best  studies  of  light  and  shade;  but  while  Fortuny’s  work  is 
much  superior  to  the  Dutch  etcher’s  in  many  important  particulars,  it 
lacks  just  that  peculiar  poetical  feeling  which  gives  Rembrandt’s  works 
such  a  singular  charm.  Let  us  take,  for  instance,  the  smaller  of  the 
two  etchings  representing  “The  Descent  from  the  Cross,”  No.  198.  This 
is  a  much  less  elaborate  and  much  less  imposing  composition  than  the 
larger  one  on  the  same  subject,  No.  197,  but  to  our  fancy  it  is  marked  by 
even  finer  qualities.  There  is  a  lurid  light  on  the  group  surrounding  the 
cross,  and  upon  the  limp  body  being  removed  from  it,  which  diffuses 
itself  in  a  marvellous  gradation  of  tones  over  the  bier  covered  with  a 
winding  sheet  and  the  other  objects  in  the  foreground,  and  which  ex¬ 
presses  in  a  singular  manner  the  whole  sentiment  of  the  scene.  W e  forget 
about  the  stout  Dutchmen  who  figure  as  the  actors,  and  are  impressed  only 
by  the  profound  pathos  of  the  situation  as  revealed  to  us  in  the  masterly 
management  of  the  chiaro-oscuro.  This  plate  is  executed' in  a  very  bold 
and  sketchy  manner,  and  it  is  therefore  an  even  better  example  than  some 
more  elaborately  finished  ones  of  Rembrandt’s  powers  as  a  master  of 
chiaro-oscuro  and  of  tone,  and  of  his  command  of  the  etching  process. 

The  large  “Descent  from  the  Cross  ”  and  “The  Ecce  Homo,”  Nos.  197 
and  195,  are  among  the  largest  and  most  celebrated  of  the  plates  etched  by 
Rembrandt.  These  two  great  compositions  are  well  worthy  of  all  the 


36  — 


study  that  can  he  given  to  them.  The  sky  in  the  last-named  is  a  superb 
piece  of  work,  executed  with  great  freedom  by  means  of  broad,  sweeping, 
vigorous  lines  crossing  each  other  in  every  direction.  Otne  of  the  most  in¬ 
teresting  of  these  etchings,  however,  is  “The  Angels’  Appearing  to  the 
Shepherds,”  No.  187 — interesting  both  as  a  conception  of  the  subject  and 
as  a  bit  of  technique.  There  is  just  a  sufficient  suggestion  of  similarity  in 
composition  between  this  work  and  Durer's  Great’  Fortune,”  No.  24, 
to  make  a  comparison  between  them  interesting.  There  is  no  light  and 
shade  worth  speaking  of  in  the  “Fortune,”  but  there  is  a  multitude  of 
detail  in  the  landscape,  every  object  being  picked  out  with  the  greatest 
minuteness,  but  with  a  rather  amusing  ignorance  both  of  linear  and  aerial 
perspective.  Rembrandt’s  work  is  full  of  detail  also,  but  effect  is  the  first 
thing  considered,  and  detail  is  subordinated  to  it.  There  is  a  sudden  burst 
of  intense  light  in  the  sky,  and  a  stout  and  very  Dutch  angel  stands  upon 
the  edge  of  a  cloud  speaking  to  the  affrighted  shepherds,  who,  with  their 
cattle,  are  scattering  with  great  precipitation  in  all  directions.  As  a  repre¬ 
sentation  of  the  scene  described  by  the  sacred  chroniclers,  the  composition 
is  grotesque  to  the  verge  of  absurdity.  So  far  as  the  figures,  whether 
celestial  or  human,  are  concerned,  we  see  scarcely  a  trace  of  the  profound 
religious  feeling  which  is  observable  in  the  crudest  and  hardest  of  Durer’s 
works,  but  as  a  study  of  the  effect  of  a  brilliant  and  overpowering  light 
suddenly  illuminating  a  night  landscape,  it  is  a  great  performance,  and  is 
justly  ranked  as  one  of  Rembrandt’s  most,  admirable  works.  Anything 
like  an  adequate  discussion  of  the  merits  of  this  imposing  series  of  etchings 
would  be  impossible  in  a  series  of  articles  like  this,  and  we  must  be  content 
with  a  mere  mention  of  the  charming  landscape  sketches,  the  life-like 
portraits,  and  the  other  works  grouped  upon  the  Rembrandt  screen. 

We  can  do  no  more  than  call  attention  to  the  etchings  of  Winceslaus 
Hollar,  Nos.  212  to  216;  of  Jan  Both,  Nos.  223  to  226;  of  Adrian  Van 
Ostade,  Nos.  227  to  234;  of  David  Teniers,  Nos.  237  and  238,  and  of  the 
other  early  practitioners;  for  the  works  of  the  modern  etchers  demand  a 
particular  consideration,  especially  in  view  of  the  importance  which  etch¬ 
ing  as  a  fine  art  is  beginning  again  to  assume. 

Fortuny,  who  died  in  Rome  a  few  weeks  ago,  was  not  only  a  great 
painter,  but  he  was  by  all  odds  the  greatest  original  etcher  of  our  time, 
and  one  of  the  greatest  that  has  evef  lived.  The  five  impressions  from 
Fortuny’s  plates  in  this  exhibition  give  a  much  better  idea  of  his  peculiar 
powers  than  do  any  of  the  paintings  by  him  that  have  yet  been  seen  in 
this  city.  The  two  plates,  “The  Dead  Arab,”  No.  848,  and  “Tire  Burial 


—  87  — 


of  the  Arab,”  No.  849 — apparently  studies  of  the  same  subject — suggest 
Rembrandt  by  their  powerful  chiaro-oscuro,  but  they  are  very  far  indeed 
from  being  imitations  of  that  master,  Fortuny’s  style  being  as  different 
as  possible  from  that  of  Rembrandt.  These  two  plates  are  executed 
with  great  boldness,  and  apparently  in  the  most  sketchy  manner.  The 
figures,  however,  are  drawn  with  consummate  skill,  and  the  variotts  tex-i 
tures  are  indicated  in  a  masterly  manner.  How  fine  and  delicate  a  work¬ 
man  Fortuny  was,  when  delicacy  was  required,  is  shown  in  “  The  Arabs 
Resting,”  No.  850,  and  “  The  Arab  Family,”  No.  851.  The  most  charming 
work  of  the  whole  series,  to  our  fancy,  is,  however,  the  etching  of  a  shep¬ 
herd  boy,  entitled  “Arcadia,”  a  study  from  the  nude,  full  of  vitality  and 
full  of  all  the  peculiar  sentiment  suggested  by  its  title. 

After  Fortuny’s,  the  most  imposing  of  the  original  modern  etchings  is 
“  Caterina  Cornaro  Receiving  the  Congratulations  of  Venice  on  her  Ascend- 
ing  the  Throne  of  Cyprus,”  No.  844,  a  very  elaborate  composition,  some¬ 
what  in  the  style  of  Paul  Veronese,  by  W.  Unger.  This  superb  work,  and 
the  copy  of  Rubens’  picture  entitled  “  The  Altar  of  St.  Ildefonso,”  by  the 
same  etcher,  are  especially  worthy  of  being  compared  with  the  engravings 
as  evidences  of  the  superiority  of  the  etching  process  for  the  representation 
of  textures  and  tones,  and  for  suggestions  of  color. 

Of  several  of  Leopold  Flameng’s  works  we  have  already  spoken.  There 
are  in  the  exhibition,  in  all,  ten  plates  by  him,  of  which  the  one  entitled 
“  Sauvee,”  No.  822,  representing  Christ  descending  into  a  Parisian  thieves’ 
den,  is  the  largest  and  the  most  remarkable  as  an  original  performance. 
Flameng,  however,  is  seen  at  his  best  as  the  interpreter  of  other  men’s 
designs,  and  his  copies  from  Rembrandt,  Fromentin,  Meissonier,  Schreyer, 
Greuze  and  Ingres  are  all  admirable  specimens  of  what  a  thoroughly 
accomplished  etcher  can  do.  Jules  F.  Jacquemart,  who,  like  Flameng,  is 
a  professional  etcher  of  great  skill,  is  represented  by  four  plates,  Nos. 
816  to  819;  while  artist-etchers  like  Meyer  Von  Bremen,  B.  E.  Jacques, 
Andreas  Achenbach,  George  Cruikshank,  E.  Meissonier,  J.  J.  Veyrassat, 
J.  B.  C.  Corot  and  C.  F.  Daubigny  contribute  one  or  more  subjects  each, 
all  of  which  will  repay  inspection. 

In  concluding  our  critical  notices  of  this  exhibition,  we  desire  again  to 
call  attention  to  its  importance  as  the  most  complete  and  extensive  affair  of 
the  kind  that  has  ever  been  arranged  in  this  country.  No  such  opportunity 
has.  up  to  this  time,  ever  before  been  offered  for  studying  the  development 
of  the  art  of  engraving,  or  of  inspecting  so  many  important  works  by  some 
of  the  greatest  artists;  and  no  person  who  is  at  all  interested  in  the  fine 


-38- 

arts  can  fail  to  find  pleasure  and  profit  in  frequent  visits.  The  exhibition 
will  remain  open  for  a  number  of  weeks,  and  it  ought  to  he  the  most  liber¬ 
ally  patronized,  both  because  of  its  intrinsic  merit,  and  because  the  profits 
will  be  devoted  to  the  building  fund  of  the  new  Academy  of  the  Fine  Arts, 
which  is  now  rapidly  approaching  completion,  and  which,  it  is  hoped,  will 
be  ready  for  a  grand  exhibition  by  next  fall. 


9i^lmZim.RESEARCH  INSTITUTE 


3  3125  01498  8022 


